


How to Ruin your Summer Vacation

by Kaoru_chibimaster



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Claiming Bites, Humor, Knotting, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Omegaverse, Porn With Plot, Pregnancy Scares, Rough Sex, Unprotected Sex, alpha roxas, mentions of mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-09
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-01-25 23:49:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 72,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21364687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaoru_chibimaster/pseuds/Kaoru_chibimaster
Summary: Step One: possibly knock a stranger up and then agonize over it for two days.Step Two: ??? still agonizing over step one.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Roxas/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 73
Kudos: 203





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> You know how you have a certain type of story in your mind that you’d love to read but haven’t found, so you write it yourself? That’s this fic for me. It's definitely not for everyone, I know, but I had a hell of a lot of fun writing it.
> 
> Also, please read the tags if you haven’t already.

“We’re heading out now, see ya when we see ya.”

“_If_ we see you, considering how cross-eyed we’ll probably be.”

The door slammed in the wake of the boisterous farewells and left the last two occupants with ringing ears. Roxas rubbed at his with a slightly pained grimace; not because of the ringing but because he knew to hold his friends to their words. They were going to come back completely sloshed and Roxas was possibly going to wake up to find someone else’s vomit in his sneakers again.

This was part of the reason why he wasn’t going with them in the first place. Their drunken shenanigans weren’t amusing to the only sober person in the room.

At least…he figured he’d be the only person sober?

He turned a raised eyebrow on Hayner, having noticed that he hadn’t gone with everyone else. He stood leaning against the wall next to the door, hands in pockets and an open, inviting look on his face. Dressed up like he was ready for a night out despite the fact that he was still there waiting.

Roxas knew what was coming next.

“Sure you don’t want to come with?”

Sighing, Roxas let his shoulders droop and his head tilt back, certain that this was the sixth time he’s answered that question.

“I told you, I’ll be fine. I’m a big boy, I can take care of myself out there,” he rolled his eyes, cracking a tiny grin when Hayner snorted.

A hand met Roxas’ shoulder and he righted himself to find Hayner standing in front of him now, a smarmy look on his face.

“That what you told Seifer when he gave you that mega wedgie—”

“If you bring that up one more time, I’m going to try my hand at it on _you_.”

Hayner burst into laughter at the not-so-serious threat, and Roxas couldn’t help joining him.

“Seriously man. He presented as a beta. How’d you let him get the drop on you?” Hayner joked.

It hadn’t been so funny at the time. Roxas had just barely presented as an alpha and somehow he didn’t magically transform from a gangly, short, freckly kid with braces into a tall, dashing hunk with muscles as far as the eye could see.

Granted, he had good muscles now, but he’d worked pretty damn hard for them. No magic transformation to do it for him.

And at least he could say his teeth were straight.

Regardless, Roxas figured he turned out to be a pretty mellow alpha as a result. Never let the status go to his head, not when he was still getting bullied by Beta Seifer and his two omega cronies well after presentation. Never felt the need to lord himself over the betas and omegas. Never did much but mind his own business. It’d gotten him far enough in life that people had learned to leave him be, knowing that goading him into fights or tempting him away with scents wasn’t really going to work on him.

Hence why he was adamant about his friends going ahead without him while he went out to find his own entertainment. He wasn’t going to sit in the hotel and wait for them to come back. That’d just be sad; they were on vacation after all. Even if he didn’t enjoy it by drinking, he’d find other ways.

“I’m going to ignore your question—” A snort answered him. “—because I’m a gracious friend like that. And anyway, it’s what I’m telling _you_. I don’t need a babysitter, Hayner.”

So what if Roxas was still short and unassuming. He meant what he said: he could take care of himself.

“Right…” Hayner slipped his arm around Roxas’ shoulders then, grinning widely as he shook him slightly. “If I come back to find you surgically removing your undies from your ass crack, I’m disowning you.” He didn’t mean it, Roxas knew. Hayner’d be first in line to pick a fight with anyone willing to _try_ that on Roxas.

Of course, he still had to hold up his offended façade, and so Roxas had an immediate come back rolling off his tongue the moment Hayner finished speaking.

“If I come back to find you laid out over the couch and drenched in rum again, I’m making you sleep outside.”

“That was _one time_!”

Which, in Roxas’ honest opinion, was one time too many. He couldn’t figure out what the appeal was for the life of him. He wasn’t even a fan of how alcohol smelled—and considering how sensitive his nose was, the burning sensation that came with it was the primary source of discomfort—so he couldn’t imagine being so drunk that he allowed himself to be _bathed_ in it.

He wrinkled his nose at Hayner.

“Still gross, though.”

“Shuddup, you weenie,” Hayner snorted, punching Roxas on the shoulder with his free hand. It was light, though. Playful. Hayner was blessedly aware enough of Roxas’ aversion to booze that he wasn’t planning on pushing him into going drinking with everyone.

“Whatever, Lush, I’ll just go have fun by myself,” Roxas sniffed jokingly. Hayner rolled his eyes at that.

“You know we’re cool with staying here with you, right? It’s not exactly fun if we aren’t _all_ there.”

Not to say that Roxas hadn’t thought about it but… He wasn’t interested in putting himself in that environment. Sure, the others minded the smell less and less the drunker they got, but seeing as Roxas wouldn’t have been drinking, he’d have just ended up miserable. And he wasn’t going to ruin their fun by making them stay in the hotel room with him either.

“Nah,” he sighed, patting Hayner’s arm in encouragement. “You guys go ahead. I’ll just…I don’t know, hang out on the beach or something.”

Hayner sent a pointed glance at the hotel window before turning it on Roxas.

“You realize it’s raining cats and dogs, right?”

“Yes, Hayner, I have eyes.”

Hayner placed a pointer finger between Roxas’ eyebrows, smirking teasingly.

“And no brain between them. If you get swept away, we’re not looking for you.”

“Bullshit, you guys would swim after me yourselves,” Roxas chuckled, patting Hayner’s hand away. “I won’t go in the water. I’m sure I’ll find something else to do.”

“Like what, collect seashells? Are you Xion now?”

“At least Xion isn’t a rum-drenched street bum.”

Hayner sighed loudly and Roxas didn’t bother holding back his laughter.

“Are you _still_ not letting that go? _One time_!”

One time, he said. One time. And Roxas would have to drag his rum-covered ass off the couch again and make sure he didn’t choke on his own upchuck. And he’d do it for all of his friends when they stumbled in, tripping over themselves, hiccupping and singing loudly and, for the most of them, off key. Xion would be the only one singing decently, and she would, of course, have sung something raunchy to make up for it. And Naminé wouldn’t sing at all because she got oddly quiet when drunk. The loudest would be Lea, trying to get a group ballad going despite the fact that he wouldn’t remember half the words. And Roxas would watch all of this fondly despite how much of an annoyance they could be when drunk, because in the end he still loved them anyway.

He wouldn’t admit out loud that maybe he wished there was someone a bit closer to him that he could smile at fondly while they made a drunken fool of themselves as well.

That rarely worked out, though; for one reason or another. He’d stopped focusing so much on that train of thought by this point anyway. Whenever he found that someone, it’d happen when it happened. He doubted that would be so during their little beach vacation to Destiny Islands, despite the name and the legends behind its weirdly shaped fruit, and so he would instead focus on what they were there to do: have fun.

So what if it was raining? He liked the rain anyway.

Even if it was raining cats and dogs out there.

“…You guys just go ahead. Have as much fun as you can for me, alright?” Roxas finally sighed after a long, quiet moment. Hayner’s expression had fallen out of its playful indignation and into a more sympathetic smile.

“Are you _sure_ you don’t want to come? We don’t have to drink,” he offered once more.

Except they’d made these plans weeks in advance. They worked pretty damn hard for this vacation, planning it so that they could all take a couple weeks off to go to the beach and just let themselves go. They had a daily planner and everything: first day they get there, they lay back, relax and have some drinks. The fun began the next day. There was more to it, what with Destiny Island’s tourist traps making up a good chunk of their itinerary, but for right now, tonight, Roxas wasn’t planning on screwing up everyone else’s plans.

With that thought in mind, he finally slipped out from under Hayner’s arm and stepped behind him, planting his hands on Hayner’s back and pushing him towards the door.

“I’m sure. Go get sloshed and then take some videos of the stupid shit you get up to.”

Hayner laughed at that, waving as he walked off.

“See you in a bit, man,” was his send off. Roxas waited for a moment, listening to his footsteps travel down the hall, before grabbing his room key and shoving it in his pocket. He didn’t bother with shoes. It was soggy and dismal outside, and Roxas knew trying to hoof it through wet sand in sneakers wasn’t the best idea. Besides, he was going to get drenched within a minute anyway. He was already ruining his clothes so there was no need to ruin his sneakers on top of that.

It didn’t deter him though. It was a nice way to simply get away. No need to hang around in the cramped hotel room, staring blankly at whatever was on the television until he eventually fell asleep to it. Plus, he liked the rain. It didn’t rain often in Twilight Town. The air was typically dry and the temperature never budged much beyond early-autumn. Nice and simple but, well—and Roxas wasn’t afraid to admit this—kinda boring. Light showers were about as much as he ever experienced there.

Stepping out of the hotel lobby, having taken the elevator down, Roxas found himself exposed to a torrent. It was nothing but heavy rain. A few faint flashes lit the night sky but it hadn’t quite transformed into a thunderstorm. Still, though Roxas had to squint through it, he found it beautiful. How the palm trees swayed in the wind, their leaves trembling under the weight of fat droplets. How the clouds formed a blanket of gray in varying shades, occasionally streaked with blue. How small streams started to form along the edges of the street, trailing down along the sidewalks like little pathways guiding Roxas in the direction they wanted him to go.

He followed them. Strolling along the cement as the busiest part of Destiny Islands passed him by. This area was the bread winner: the resorts, the casinos, the amusement park, the shops, the flashing neon lights. All of it was a pretty bow wrapped tight around a cardboard box, he’d heard people describe. Nowhere else on the island was anything this flashy. Nowhere else was it necessary. Though there was a city further inland, it was incredibly cultural and far removed from what one might expect out of a place equivalent to, say, Radiant Garden or Daybreak. Most people still lived in little houses in their little villages, so small that cars and trains and trams weren’t even a necessity, going about their simple lives with their simple jobs. Fishermen and teachers and builders and gardeners. Their children still playing outside; some of them Roxas could see even now, jumping in puddles and chasing one another around. No one wrapped up their technology of choice, spending their lives with their faces in their phones until their tram route took them to their jobs and then later their homes. And even then, everyone was absorbed in tech.

Not that Roxas could really complain when most of his work was commissioned online, but sometimes he wondered what it’d be like to live this simply. He hadn’t even seen a single island native in the tourist areas, and he was certain those who weren’t making a living off the place in shops were instead in their villages minding their business.

He wondered if that might change when he realized he’d been moseying his way down to the beach.

That was the biggest bread winner right there. Destiny Islands sported some of, if not, the most beautiful beaches imaginable. The sand was pure white, the water clear blue, the wildlife exotic, and, of course, the draw of the local paopu fruit and its legend about Destiny. Something about meeting one’s other half if they picked the fruit, and sharing it with them once they did. It was a load of bull, as far as Roxas was concerned, but who was he to begrudge another culture’s history? He could understand the appeal from the romantic masses, hoping to find their soulmates.

Hah. As if such a thing existed.

No, what Roxas was searching for had nothing to do with shared hearts and “legendary” star-shaped bananas. He just wanted some peace and quiet.

The beach seemed to be the best bet for that, he soon realized. It was barren.

Not unexpected, considering most wouldn’t _want_ to be outside in this weather, and so Roxas took the opportunity for what it was and crossed the length of the sand until he found a nice spot near a cropping of rocks farther out on the beach. It was nearer the closest village than it was Destiny Resort, but Roxas didn’t mind. It wasn’t as if he could lose his way, the place was as obnoxiously conspicuous as it could get. He’d be following a beacon, essentially.

Plopping himself down on the firm, wet sand, Roxas leaned back on his hands and simply enjoyed the feeling of rain against his skin. His eyes slipped closed as his head tilted back, his hair flat against his head now and his clothes sticking to him like a second skin. It was as if the entire day was being washed away. It’d been tiresome and stressful, waking up ridiculously early to take a six hour flight to an island four hours behind his hometown, finding that he suddenly had more of the day than there was initially and being dragged through the sights after they’d all set themselves up in the hotel. Nothing but window shopping, since it was Mellow Day, but exhausting nonetheless. He hadn’t even gotten a chance to take a shower.

He supposed that was a moot point now.

Something caught his ear then. Footsteps it sounded like. Slow and steady and seemingly unaware that Roxas was even there. Granted, he was sort of hidden behind those rocks, but not completely so. He knew whoever was coming would be in his line of sight soon, and he’d be in theirs within the same amount of time, if he wasn’t already.

Odd, considering he hadn’t thought anyone would be out here in the first place. The waves weren’t quite crashing against the shore, but they were heavy and erratic. Roxas doubted whoever it was was there to swim. Maybe they too wanted to get away from it all?

Though, considering the direction the footsteps were coming from, Roxas wondered what one of the village residents could possibly be getting away from. They were tucked away enough behind a thick wood of trees that it was doubtful the resort was bothering them.

Still, the footsteps came closer, and with them a confused and surprised hum. Roxas finally opened his eyes and tilted his head to the side.

It was a guy. He looked around Roxas’ age, though he seemed to suffer the same short stature and baby-faced syndrome that Roxas did. His hair was brunette, darkened by the rain and sticking to his skin like glue. Clad in a tank top and shorts despite the slight chill to the rain; barefoot just like Roxas. A brown eyebrow raised over eyes just as blue as those clear island waters. Bluer than Roxas’, he was sure.

He was, and Roxas wasn’t ashamed to admit this, attractive as hell on top of everything. Not that plastic, billboard supermodel attractive that everyone seemed to find ideal, but cute. Boyishly so, going by the youthful face. Not distractingly young looking, he still had a sharpness to his jaw and a length to his face that told Roxas he was somewhere in the realm of adulthood, but enough so that there was still a roundness to his cold-pinkened cheeks. When Roxas’ gaze trailed down a bit—because yes he was going to check this attractive stranger out—he found a svelteness to the stranger. Slim muscles wrapped in tan skin.

Hmm.

He looked like an omega.

It was a fleeting thought that crossed Roxas’ mind, and he tried just as quickly to shove it back down. It wasn’t right to judge by appearances. Until he’d presented, everyone had expected him to be an omega. Some still thought he was until they caught his scent.

Roxas couldn’t quite deny that the thought still lingered though. Sure the guy was attractive, but Roxas hadn’t expected to feel _attracted to_ him. Not so suddenly when there was no basis to go on besides looks.

He’d continue to assume mentally, but Roxas wasn’t going to address the guy any specific way until he knew for certain.

Besides, he wasn’t really keen on treating the guy any differently even if he was an omega. He wasn’t raised with those backwards ideals.

“I don’t usually find tourists sitting out in the rain,” the stranger finally spoke. He even had a nice voice. Tenor and soft and with the barest hint of an accent. Definitely a resident, based on how he addressed Roxas.

Roxas raised his eyebrows at the stranger in response, certain that his point got across when his companion chuckled.

“I know, I know. I’m out here too. Still, I didn’t expect to find _anyone else_ out here.”

“You and me both, man…” Roxas trailed off. He was met with a crooked smile, one corner of the stranger’s lips pulling up in amusement, and a passive shrug.

And Roxas didn’t want to keep referring to him as ‘the stranger’. He wanted to know this man’s name. He wanted to know who it was he was so easily speaking with on a rainy beach when Roxas tended to so often avoid people not in his personal bubble. He wanted to know why he wanted to know.

“What’s your name anyway?”

“Kinda rude to ask mine and not give yours,” the stranger answered with a cheeky grin, and Roxas found himself reacting in ways he didn’t expect. Where that sort of response might’ve annoyed him with anyone else, he was instead mentally scrambling to correct the faux paus. _Of course_ he should’ve introduced himself. He couldn’t be rude to this ome—_possible_ omega, that was…

That was…

Odd. More than anything, Roxas couldn’t figure out for the life of him why he wanted this stranger’s opinion of him to be better, but he did. He needed it. And thus, not even a drop of irritation colored his tone when he responded.

“Roxas.”

That beautiful grin widened, accompanied by a sparkle in those blue eyes that cut through the rain like beacons. Roxas saw nothing else.

“Sora.”

Sora. A very islander name. Though, Roxas could’ve guessed from the flimsy way he was dressed in a storm and the tan hue of his skin. He seemed comfortable enough on the beach, as if he belonged there. Even in the rain.

Though why he was standing in the rain, Roxas still hadn’t figured out.

“Why’re you out here anyway, Sora?” The name sent a tingle over Roxas’ tongue that he couldn’t explain and thus staunchly ignored.

“I’m just…feeling a little overwhelmed, I guess. Needed to get out of the house and the rain helps me clear my head. Can’t smell anything in it.”

Roxas knew for certain then that Sora was either an alpha or an omega, especially if he was complaining about smells. No beta ever had to go through that.

Though a small part of Roxas wanted Sora to be an alpha.

Mostly because his mention of feeling overwhelmed, particularly by scents, was setting off warning bells in the back of his mind.

Roxas pushed those worries down and scooted around in his spot until he was facing Sora, not minding the sand that coated his butt. It’d be rinsed off by the time he walked back to the hotel anyway. Besides, Sora had a point. One thing Roxas had taken note of was that scents were muted in the rain. He could still smell them walking down the path to the beach, there were too many people crammed in one place _not_ to, but it wasn’t overwhelming to the point of there being nothing but scent. He could actually smell nature for once: the mixture of fresh rain and grass and trees and saltwater. 

He supposed that was also why he couldn’t tell exactly what Sora was supposed to be.

Oh, but he’d keep that to himself. It wasn’t really his business anyway and thinking that way seemed…wrong. It didn’t matter what Sora was supposed to be. Or what Roxas was, or what anyone was.

Even if he couldn’t deny he was curious.

“So…” The question was on the tip of his tongue and Roxas swallowed it down, not keen on making an ass of himself for no reason. “You live around here?”

Which. Well… That was obvious, and instead of asking an offensive question, he ended up asking a stupid one.

He wanted to smack himself. Why’d he always get awkward around cute guys?

Sora didn’t seem to mind, or even notice Roxas’ internal berating even if Roxas was pretty sure it was showing on his face now, as he smiled and placed his hands behind his head.

“You don’t,” he chuckled. “Clearly. But yeah, I’m from the village over east.”

Roxas’ gaze trailed over to that same village he’d taken note of before and found that he was correct in assuming the footsteps had been coming from there. He hadn’t even realized he’d wandered far out enough that he was nearly at the village entrance. He could see it a lot more clearly from this side of the trees now that he was paying attention. Quaint, it looked like. Its open gates letting outsiders get a glimpse of the small houses tucked away inside.

He looked back at Sora again. He didn’t have to wander nearly as far to reach this point, but he was still far enough away that there was a good distance between him and the village. He must’ve really needed to get away then.

“Is this the part where you shoo me away?” Not that Roxas was planning on budging, but he wondered if maybe he was ruining that peace of mind Sora had been looking for.

He must not have been, judging by Sora’s loud, joyful laugh.

“Why would I do that? You came here to enjoy the beach too, even if it is in _this_ weather!” he exclaimed, letting his arms down so that they instead spread wide. “I’m not gonna tell you to go away. Stay here and talk to me!”

He was so…open. Inviting. He spoke to Roxas like they were already friends. And Roxas wanted to stay because for once it didn’t feel off. It didn’t feel like he was being tricked or made fun of. It just felt natural.

Roxas leaned forward, legs crisscrossed. Entirely uncertain of what there was to talk about when he wasn’t a very talkative person in the first place, but he stayed regardless.

“I don’t know what you would want me to talk about…” he said, quietly enough that Sora had to shuffle closer. Still notably distanced from him, enough so that Roxas still couldn’t pick up a scent, but close enough that they didn’t have to shout over the rain at each other.

“Tell me about where you’re from? We get visitors from so many places… I always wonder how different their cities and towns are,” Sora answered, leaning forward so that his hands rested on his knees.

The distance and posture came across as cautious, almost. Whether or not Sora was an omega, he probably figured out by now that Roxas…wasn’t. He didn’t leave, though. It didn’t come across as if he was afraid of Roxas.

If anything, it almost seemed like he was trying to hide something.

Okay…

Again. Wasn’t his business. He wouldn’t ask.

Instead he tapped his chin as he tried to think of a way to describe Twilight Town that didn’t involve ‘quiet’, ‘boring’ and ‘the people there entertain themselves by hitting one another with foam bats and earning points for it’.

That last one especially tended to earn weird looks from non-Twilight Towners.

“Hmm… Well, I guess anyone looking to visit Twilight Town would probably enjoy its namesake the most?” Granted, when one got used to the sunsets in TT, they became less magnificent and more ‘too bright and uncomfortable for one’s eyes’. “Uh…maybe you’d like the atmosphere. It’s homely…I guess.”

Not that Roxas didn’t appreciate his hometown. He appreciated the memories of sitting on the clock tower with his friends, eating ice cream. He appreciated the times they’d spent chasing down the seven wonders or skateboarding through the streets or practicing their struggle skills. He appreciated the days spent wandering Sunset Terrace until they ended up on the hilltop, watching people go about their day. He appreciated going home to his parents and his cat; later just his dad and his cat, and then eventually his friends and his cat when he moved out and took Jesse with him. He appreciated everything about the place.

He was just too awkward to properly convey this.

“Homely sounds nice. Though I guess that’s like here. Very homely and quiet,” Sora said as a pensive look crossed his face. “Guess other places aren’t too different then, huh…”

That did put things into perspective, Roxas supposed. Here he’d thought of glitz and glamor in regards to Destiny Islands. Flashy commercials advertising those enticing beaches and weekends full of fun at the biggest resort that side of the ocean. Not that he didn’t know it was mostly comprised of small villages, but no one ever visited the islands for them. To hear it referred to in the same way Twilight Town was made it feel that much more down to earth.

Roxas opened his mouth, fully intent on continuing their conversation, wanting to know more about Sora and his village…

Until his thought process ground to a halt.

Not due to his awkward nature this time, no. It was because he finally realized what it was Sora was hiding. Roxas’ mouth clamped shut a second too late, and it was only a second needed before it hit him. It was _Sora_.

He’d shifted, just in the same moment Roxas inhaled, and _oh_.

It was like he’d just walked into a bakery. A weird analogy at the surface, but nothing else would describe the warmth that washed over him, the sweetest smell meeting his nose—so strong he was certain he could taste it at the back of his throat. Just that alone had him salivating, his body tensing, his nostrils flaring.

That wasn’t just Sora’s scent. That was _heat_.

He wasn’t in rut, he wanted to tell himself. The smell of heat would pique his interest, certainly, but he wouldn’t lose himself to it.

Except thoughts like that slipped quietly out of the window as he continued to stare at Sora. The scent had faded now, blocked out by the rain again, but Roxas had gotten a whiff of it and he wanted more. His hands balled into fists at the anticipation.

And Sora watched him back, intrigued by his reactions. Silent now. No longer smiling, but not averse to what was happening. Not when his eyelids lowered and his bottom lip was sucked under his teeth, a glimmer in his eyes that sparked along Roxas’ skin when they met his. When Sora stepped back, it wasn’t in fear. It was in enticement.

His scent drifted over to Roxas again, and he stood abruptly. Ready to follow the trail of breadcrumbs. Hearing the squelch of wet sand under bare feet as Sora turned on his heel and started to walk away.

The scent faded once more and Roxas’ legs locked up in their spot. He wasn’t sure about this, actually. Everything seemed so primal; he hadn’t taken the chance to really think through whether or not this was the direction he wanted his night to go in. He’d never really been one for random hook-ups, and though he and his friends were on vacation and this would be the perfect time to _try_…

Sora was in heat. Roxas knew how messy that could get, and he wasn’t prepared for an encounter like that in the slightest.

Yet, when Sora paused a few feet away, turning back to Roxas with a coyness in his eyes and a tiny, playful grin on his lips, all thoughts of pause melted away once more. Roxas’ legs moved finally, and he trailed behind Sora through the village and into the residential areas. Far less developed than the tourist traps and very homely looking. Lived in, like the difference between cut and dry Market Street and the unassuming neighborhood of Sunset Terrace. Though the sand turned to asphalt once they hit the road, the streets were lined with an array of palm trees, littered with little houses and their cobblestone driveways, touched with accents here and there: a stray bike left out in the rain in front of one, a yard of children’s toys in another, a kiddie pool filling up with rain water…

Sora veered towards one that was touched up with a small, colorful garden and, as Roxas followed him up the patio steps, a waterlogged Mickey Mouse welcome mat in front of the burgundy-painted door.

Cute.

He wished he could admire the place under normal circumstances. Maybe ask Sora about the little decorations he spotted in the windowsills, or run his fingers along the wood of the house and marvel in how different it was from Twilight Town’s brick and stone.

But he stepped through the door, and suddenly he understood what Sora meant by overwhelmed.

Coherent thoughts were a struggle when the hint of scent Roxas had caught from Sora down at the beach hit him full force in the enclosed space. It was mouthwatering, and Roxas took long, heavy breaths as he tried to breathe around it. But that was impossible. He was surrounded by it. And as the source of it, who’d been standing by the open door to invite Roxas in, turned and closed it, rational thought went out the window as well.

Not a single consideration as to how fast this was going could penetrate the wall that had enclosed around Roxas’ mind. It simply didn’t exist, there was no more _Roxas_. There was just _Sora_ right there in front of him, turned away so that he was practically presented to Roxas, and it hadn’t even registered that he’d pressed Sora against that door until he was already flush against him.

He was drowning before he’d even gotten the chance to attempt to float.

Everything faded. Nothing else existed, nothing but the man he was molded against. The way he felt, the way he smelled… The way he _sounded_, groaning lowly in affirmation. And Roxas needed to hear it. He needed that go ahead, because he already felt like he was going to _explode_. Vaguely, he wondered if he should’ve been embarrassed that he was already hard just from rubbing against Sora’s backside, but he couldn’t justify giving much thought to such feelings when fabric and plush softness rubbed against his most sensitive spot.

He could’ve stayed that way forever, just basking in that sweet scent and feeling that delicious grind, but Sora at least had the sense to turn in Roxas’ arms, they having wrapped around a thin waist without him even noticing, and press their lips together.

It was like the entire universe imploded. It should’ve been a simple kiss, even sloppy and frantic as it was, and yet it was mindblowing. It was unearthly, the feeling of Sora’s lips against his, the wet warmth of his tongue brushing against Roxas’, the sweet taste of him when Roxas licked into his mouth. Uncoordinated and messy and dribbled with spit and so, so good.

Something…should have been wrong here. Roxas was not into swapping spit with omegas he barely knew.

Yet in the same vein, everything felt _so_ _right_. Of course he should be here in this house with Sora, sliding his palms under wet fabric and over flushed skin, moving his lips in time with sugar sweet, plump ones.

He was practically wrapped around the warm, pliant body; pressed flush against him, rolling his hips into him where they lined up perfectly, feeling the vibrations of his moans against his lips. He wanted more of that. More, _more_! He wanted to _taste_ Sora. He wanted the heady flavor of his heat on his tongue. He wanted to hear those honey sweet moans _louder_. And he ground down harder, faster… Licking into an open mouth to claim his reward, swallowing each sound down as if he was consuming the finest delicacy.

And for as receptive as Sora was, he wasn’t complacent. It was almost an expectation of an omega in heat: lay back and let the alpha do the work. Be taken care of. Sora must not have been interested in letting Roxas have all the fun, not with how he clawed at Roxas’ clothes. They parted lips only briefly enough that Roxas’ t-shirt could be pealed from his skin, and Sora’s tank top from his. Thrown somewhere over Roxas’ shoulder and forgotten about completely when even more of that smooth, tan skin was revealed. Roxas felt fingers trail over his skin at the same time he spread his over Sora’s, feeling every muscle twitch, every sucked in breath as his chest rose and fell. There was a flush of heat that covered every inch of exposed skin; blazing hot, in fact, as if he was suffering a fever. The kind that spread those flames over Roxas in waves. Quick and frantic like the puffs of breath Roxas could feel against his face as he continued to kiss Sora. Slow and steady as they continued to run their hands over one another, Sora’s fingers twitching and flexing against Roxas’ sides, back, arms, before hooking into his waistline and tugging. Roxas wanted _so much_ to let him yank them off. He wanted to see where Sora might go from there. Whether he’d sink into a crouch and take Roxas in his mouth—just the thought of it sent a sharp throb through Roxas’ dick—or whether he’d turn around and open himself up to Roxas completely. Let him into that slick heat.

Frustrated, Roxas bit Sora’s lip _hard_ and drank in the sound he made. It, both thankfully and upsettingly, gave him the result he was looking for. Sora’s fingers stopped wiggling into Roxas’ shorts. It was like being egged on, and Roxas was just deep enough under Sora’s spell that he was sure he’d have given in easily but…

He wanted to lavish attention on the writhing body in his arms. It was no fun to skip right to the chase.

The disgruntled whine Sora passed into his mouth only served as encouragement. Roxas pulled his lips from Sora in response, only giving him another nip on his now swollen bottom lip in response to the second whine he earned, before trailing them down Sora’s throat, temptingly sucking hickies over his scent gland, and licking over the rain soaked skin of his collar bone. One hand gripped Sora’s side while the other explored him in tandem with Sora’s own wandering hands. Running a palm over the trail of hair on his stomach when Sora lightly scratched his nails over Roxas’ navel, rubbing a thumb over slender sides when Sora’s fingers grip into Roxas’ hips, pinching a nipple between eager fingerpads when Sora’s hands trailed up and over Roxas’ own. The stimulation had Sora’s head tilting back, mouth open wide when he gasped Roxas’ name, and it sent shivers tingling down his spine. He wanted to hear it again—over and over until Sora’s voice was hoarse.

His eyes slid down to the nipple he was still rolling between his fingers, his other hand drifting up of its own accord to play with the other. Rubbing his thumbs over them and feeling them peak against his skin. They were the color of cinnamon, almost as if to compliment the rest of Sora’s tan, and Roxas licked his lips at the sight of them, sure that his mouth was watering.

He couldn’t help himself. He wanted to taste them.

Roxas dipped his head down and wrapped his lips around one of those pert nipples. The loud, incomprehensible jumble of words that spilled from Sora’s mouth in response was worth it by itself. But the _taste_ of him. That honey sweetness almost seemed to drape over Sora’s skin in a thick, sappy film. Like licking a candy pop, Roxas’ tongue lapped over Sora’s nipple, slow and steady and flat-tongued, before suckling at it. Growing addicted to the sweet flavor it left on his tongue and the sweeter moans that dripped from Sora’s lips. Switching to the other and treating it just as reverently as Sora shook in his hold. One arm wrapped around him to keep him close as the other gripped at a round cheek through soaked shorts.

Those had to go.

It took no thought, no consideration, no time for Roxas to shuck them down, grinning around the skin he’d sucked into his mouth when Sora frantically kicked them away. He found that plush cheek, now free of its confines, wet with rainwater and sticky with slick, and fuck if that didn’t turn him on even more. Sora shuddered and nearly slipped against the door when Roxas slipped his fingers over that sticky, wet heat and rubbed against it. Slick spilled out against his fingers, coating them entirely before running over the other digits, and likely down Sora’s legs as well. His fingers had found their way to Roxas’ shoulders at this point and they gripped into them rhythmically, in time with each circle of a fingerpad over his rim. Clawed into them when Roxas slid his hand between Sora’s legs for easier access and dipped two fingers in, sure Sora could handle it in heat.

More than that, he almost seemed to suck Roxas’ fingers in. He clenched around them greedily and it was warm and slick and _tight_ around Roxas’ fingers, and he bit into the skin just above Sora’s nipple to keep himself from losing it and just pounding Sora against the door.

He at least had to build up to that first.

Slipping a third finger in, he thrust his hand in and out in what he hoped was a smooth, even tempo but was sure was actually frantic and staccato with how much both of them were shaking. Sora was murmuring something into Roxas’ hair, something he couldn’t hear past the thundering pulse in his ears and the wet sounds of his fingers inside Sora, curling inward in an attempt to find…ah.

“Ah!”

There it was.

He’d barely gotten a good few nudges at it before Sora exploded. Head thrown back against the door, chest heaving with his nipples now red and prominent and abused, littered with hickies and bitemarks and adorned with a bruised bottom lip, covered in sweat and rain and a red flush that made him almost glow. His neck was exposed so readily and he looked so _good_… Roxas was tempted. Oh so tempted. Enough so that the sirens screaming at him in the back of his mind to stop now, let Sora go, grab his clothes and leave was entirely ignored. The scent of sweat, and sex, and cum mixed with the scent of heat in a salty-sweet swirl that overtook every bit of rational thought.

So when Roxas leaned forward to lick over the red mark he’d left on Sora’s scent gland and Sora tilted his head to the side and sighed “please” into his ear like he was speaking a blessing…

Roxas bit down.

It took no consideration. Not even a ‘maybe this should wait until after dinner and a movie’ floated through his mind. None of that _mattered_. Courtship didn’t _matter_ when Sora was right there, pliant in his arms and gasping and whimpering through the bite and hard again as he thrust up against Roxas, smearing cum over the front of his shorts and—_why the fuck was he still wearing clothes?!_ The shorts had to go too. They were in the way and Roxas wanted to feel Sora against himself, wanted to rub their lengths together while he marked him and made Sora _his_.

It was pure instinct fueling him now. Mindless movements, jerky and fumbling as his shorts were ripped down and tossed away with his free hand, the other still buried inside Sora and playing with his sweet spot. Not even cool air met Roxas’ arousal when it was finally freed, not with the atmosphere filled with nothing but a haze of heat and the sounds of gasps and moans and sighs bouncing off the walls. Not with the burst of flavor on Roxas’ tongue as he clung to Sora, his teeth still clamped over his scent gland. Not when the melting pot of scents filled his nose and hazed his thoughts. Not when the squelch of his fingers, still frantically thrusting into Sora, filled his ears.

He hung there with his teeth in Sora’s neck until his body was ready to let go. When it knew the bond was formed and the mark was permanent. And when he pulled away and a string of reddish-pink saliva held the connection between his lips, he could still feel it strongly, tingling against his mouth and teeth. _Mine_, flashed through his mind. Danced through his thoughts like a parade. _Mine, mine, mine. All mine_. Too far gone to consider any consequences. Too deep in to have any doubts or second thoughts. Sora was _his_ now. And he was Sora’s.

His Sora pawed at him impatiently, breaths shaky and chest heaving. Roxas’ fingers had stopped. He was almost at an impasse, really. He wanted to mark every inch of that silky skin. He wanted to taste Sora more; burn the flavor of him onto his tongue, into the back of his throat. He wanted to turn him over and take him again and again until he forgot his own name. Play with him until he was shaking. And it was _overwhelming_. Roxas barely felt like himself anymore, not sure where this desperation was coming from. He’d never reacted this strongly to heat. But he didn’t want to stop. He couldn’t stop. Every time he tried to pull himself back into the present, remember himself and where he was and who he was with and why this was _bad_…

It was as if his entire body revolted at the idea. Stop touching Sora? Impossible. He could barely pull away long enough to stop kissing him; no way would he unhand him entirely. Not unless Sora told him to stop.

And Sora was…

Well, whatever clarity he’d gained in the rain, away from the heavy air of his heat clogging his house, had dissipated entirely. Now he was barely stringing words together: only a mixture of pleading and praises and wants and needs and Roxas’ name left his lips. His hands still running over Roxas’ skin, pulling him closer and gripping into him, leaving little crescent marks where the bite of his nails made contact. Shaking as Roxas continued to rub circles into his prostate, fingers so soaked that he met no resistance when he pulled them out. The warm cavern was gone, leaving slick cooling on his fingers, and he brought them to his mouth to lick the remnants off before it cooled completely. So absentmindedly that he hadn’t even realized he’d done it until the strong essence hit his tongue, and he found himself sucking it off fervently. He wanted to run his tongue over that tight rim and taste that flavor again. He wanted to feel it flutter against him at the sensation. He wanted to delve inside and _devour_ Sora.

But fuck if the sight of Sora spreading his legs, lifting one of them to make the positioning easier, didn’t make Roxas’ sex twitch in anticipation. He’d eat Sora out later. He needed to be inside him _now_.

Hefting Sora’s leg up so that it hooked over Roxas’ elbow, he pressed himself flush against Sora and pushed inside smoothly, earning a loud moan that he was sure could be heard through the door. He wasted no time; he couldn’t possibly now that Sora’s tight heat surrounded him, squeezing him intermittently. He couldn’t find the sense to wait, not through the haze of Sora’s heat in his mind. He couldn’t bother to be careful when he knew Sora could handle him easily now of all times. He was clearly enjoying himself, if anything. Grunting punctuated each slide inside him, toes curling in tandem with each thrust. His back met the door firmly and repeatedly, a result of the rough way Roxas was handling him, but he didn’t seem to mind. Or notice, or even care, really. And Roxas couldn’t just…stop.

It was like being in a vice. A smooth, hot tunnel that juxtaposed itself in its tightness and softness. Every time Roxas pushed in he was met with a squelching wetness to accompany the constricting squeeze and every time he pulled out the cool air hit him like a small relief, keeping him from falling into a complete trance.

Fuck, he couldn’t stop though.

He couldn’t think, he couldn’t breathe. Every inhale was met with a renewal of that honey scent, every touch of his lips to Sora’s was like another hit to the drug. He was almost worried he was being a little too rough, lip curled over his teeth in exertion as he thrusted harder, knee pressed against the door for leverage. Yet Sora only encouraged him more with every sound he made. He was practically _sobbing_ out each moan; a squeak in the back of his throat preceded each breath and they were fast and laborious to match his racing heartbeat. Roxas knew it. He could _feel_ it. It throbbed against his sensitive skin in a way Roxas doubted he’d even notice if Sora hadn’t been in heat.

It made his knees weak, the backs of them straining as he held Sora up while continuing to drive into him. Sora didn’t seem to mind, though, when Roxas slipped to the floor, knees meeting hard tile in a way that jarred him and jostled his partner. Neither of them really paid it much mind. His hands were gripped into Sora’s hips now, having let the leg crooked over his elbow drop to the floor, and Sora’s hands finally unhooked from Roxas’ arms to splay over the door, giving him enough leeway to grind his hips into Roxas’. He rolled them with each meeting, not seeming to mind that the timing was a little off with their mindless rutting. They’d figured _something_ out in the grand scheme of things and all that really mattered of it was that it made them both feel good. More than good. A hell of a lot so.

Roxas leaned forward to bury himself in Sora’s scent again, face pressed against his neck, lips against his shiny new mark. Sora shivered almost violently at the sensation, squeezing around Roxas again and grinding against him _harder_. The positioning was too awkward for him to ride Roxas properly but it was made up for with every upward thrust of Roxas’ hips. Every slide of their skin; sweaty chests pressed together, fingers clenched tight around supple flesh. Warmth and scent and heat and sex. It was hypnotizing. Roxas’ eyes slipped closed as he felt his climax creeping up on him, only to clench them shut and nearly bite through his own lip when Sora suddenly cried out and _squeezed_ around him. Wet spurts hit his stomach and he finally tipped over the edge, filling Sora as much as he could.

As much as he was willing in that moment. They were far from finished and so…

“Y-you…you didn’t…I wanted your knot…” Sora slurred, his voice thick as if he was drunk. Head still tilted back, resting against the door now as he panted through his high. Hips still jerking minutely as if trying to push Roxas’ knot inside.

And damn did Roxas want to. He wanted to fully sheath himself inside Sora and feel that heat clench around _all_ of him.

But he _wasn’t done_. They had all night, and he…

No way could he leave it at this. He already banged the guy against his front door, he at least owed Sora the rest of the night in a bed.

“Where’s your room?” he mumbled against Sora’s skin.

“You didn’t…your knot…” Sora continued to mumble.

“I’ll knot you in your bed. Where’s your room?”

That seemed to spur Sora on. He lifted himself off of Roxas’ half-hard dick—of course it was responding rather strongly to Sora’s heat, but holy shit he hadn’t bounced back this quickly since his first rut—before standing on shaky legs. He’d wobbled and fallen against the door once, earning a wince from Roxas, but eventually he trailed further into the house. Through the living room and into a doorway where the swinging door was propped open; it’d led into a kitchen, Roxas learned, as he followed behind Sora. His feet had dragged over entry way tile and then plush carpet and then tile again and he was sure they were both leaving a mess behind them as their footprints were still wet and they were both still dripping with rainwater, slick and cum. Roxas couldn’t quite help himself as he watched a mixture of white and clear stream down the backs of Sora’s legs as evidence that he’d satisfied them both. It sent a pulse of pride through him that he tried to quash before it got too out of control. He wasn’t going to be one of _those_ alphas: the ones who only enjoyed the instinctual aspect of sex. The ones who would’ve knotted Sora in a heartbeat and not cared that they would’ve ended up stuck in a pile of sweaty limbs in front of the door for however long it took their knot to shrink down.

No, he thought as he followed Sora up a flight of stairs, eyes trained solely on that supple ass now, he _really_ wanted to enjoy this.

His toes were buried back in carpet on the top floor, and he automatically weaved around obstacles he barely took note of through the narrow hallway until they reached the room at the very end. The one that smelled strongest of Sora’s heat. Roxas could imagine him cooped up in that room, attempting to quell the heat by pleasuring himself until he was sore. He could picture in his mind Sora finally getting fed up enough to throw some clothes on and run out into the rain, hoping the absence of scent would clear his head. And it led him to _this_. It was almost ironic, when Roxas thought about it. Go out into the rain to escape heat, come back with an alpha. Roxas would’ve laughed if he wasn’t downright grateful Sora chose his excursion at the same time as Roxas’ own.

Inside, the bedroom itself was littered with extra pillows and blankets in an arrangement Roxas didn’t have the available brain space to even try to understand, but he stepped over it all carefully nonetheless, making sure not to upset Sora by ruining his nest. Not when Sora had spread himself over the bed invitingly, legs hooked back by arms so that he was completely open. It was tempting beyond what Roxas had been ready for; he couldn’t even register his legs moving until his knees were settled into the mattress and he was buried in that heat again.

It was like being welcomed home. Comforting and familiar all at once, which was nonsensical considering he’d just met Sora barely an hour prior, but that was simply how it felt. Like he belonged there. The thought should have been stupid. Asinine. How far gone could Roxas possibly be that he would even consider this spontaneous encounter with a complete stranger familiar? How deep under the spell of Sora’s heat had he found himself?

Deep. Too deep in. As deep as he willed his body to go. As deep as he allowed his mind to go. And deeper still. Nothing else would explain the ravenous way he rocked into Sora, fingers clawed into the messy, unmade sheets, legs tiring out as they held through his rough movements. He could feel his thighs burning with the effort, his knees aching from the hard floor they’d just been pressed against, his lungs heaving with the effort to suck in every heat-tainted breath. And still he would not stop. Not when pleasure coursed through his entire being, throbbing angrily like shots of venom in his veins. Not when sparks flew up his spine and heat pooled in his groin and warm, wet pressure enveloped his cock, renewed with every thrust inside.

Not when Sora was practically screaming now, head still thrown back so that his new mark was on display. Hands shifting aimlessly between grabbing at his sheets or grabbing at his hair or grabbing at his thighs or grabbing at Roxas. Not when his entire body was flushed a sweaty red, his scent rolling off him in waves, his stomach and pelvis coated in cooling spend while slick continued to gush from his hole, slicking Roxas again and again. His back arched, his body twitched; everything about him sucked Roxas in. Invited him willingly, from the way his legs shook as they hooked around Roxas, still pushed back high enough that Roxas could thrust up and—

“Oh! Oh! Oh my gods _yesyesyesyes_—”

—earn that reaction out of him. And he wanted more of that. He wanted to hear it again, again, again. Louder. It meant costing him the pretty image of Sora red and sobbing and soaked in sex, but it meant he could hear more of that and_ he wanted it_. He never wanted anything more in his life.

It made Sora whimper in displeasure when Roxas pulled out, but he made sure to do so for only a split second: long enough to turn his partner around and mount him. The position was easier for them both. Sora lay on his arms with his face pressed into the mattress, legs spread out as he supported himself on his knees. And Roxas draped over him when he pushed back in, one arm wrapped around Sora’s middle while the other gripped his hip. He was back to his fast-paced tempo. It didn’t take much effort this time to hit Sora’s sweet spot now, and Roxas focused on it until Sora was a shaking, drooling mess.

It was hot and fast and rough and so, _so good_. The slick, tight feeling around him sent him into a near frenzy, his hips snapping forward in fervent chase of the reward of each sound from Sora’s mouth, his shouts muffled and accompanied only by the scratch of nails against fabric. The slap of sweaty skin and the pliant give of his hips as Roxas’ fingers dug into them, pulling Sora back against him in time with each thrust. The _scent_. Hot and musty and salty sweet. Addicting.

His mind was numb at this point, filled with nothing but pleasure. A constant barrage of ‘_good, good, good_’ and ‘_yes, yes, yes_’ and wordless noise when he simply couldn’t describe the experience. Not the tingling electric sensation over his skin, not the throbbing exhilaration that traveled up and down his spine in waves, not the pulsing heat that ran the length of his sex or that thrummed in time with his heartbeat around the engorged flesh of his knot. Not the sweaty, slippery grip of his fingers into smooth hips, nor the tight, fluttering ring of muscle that squeezed around him involuntarily. Not the heavy, buttery honey scent that overtook Roxas’ senses, calling out for him. Craving more from him.

And he gave it. More, more, _more_.

Harder, faster.

Over and over again until both of them were a conjoined, sobbing, overstimulated mess. And even then they didn’t stop.

Not at the feel of the bed shaking almost violently. Not as they both cried out until their voices were hoarse; a combination of moans and gasps and one another’s names.

Not even when Sora brokenly whimpered that he was coming, and Roxas, not far behind him, slipped his knot in so that he was snug against his new mate.

New mate.

Just the thought of it sent a fuzzy, incomprehensible shudder of satisfaction through Roxas.

This was his mate.

And he wanted to make him feel good. Better than good.

So he didn’t stop.

They continued throughout the night until, with nothing left to give, their bodies collapsed from exhaustion.

Only then did the scent of heat start to fade.


	2. Chapter 2

Roxas woke up in a sauna.

At least, that was certainly how it had felt. Humid as the islands were, and smack dab in the middle of summer, the inside of the room felt like it’d been filled with steam. And Roxas was sweating like a pig to top it off.

It didn’t help that he was draped over somebody.

Roxas lay there for a moment, just taking in everything around him. Breathing in scents and peeking around a shock of chestnut hair. He was on top of someone; cocooned around them even. Protectively so, as if he was subconsciously planning on using his entire body to block this person from the world. And this person held a lingering sweetness to his—he was definitely a _he_ as Roxas had his arm around a slim waist, his hand cupping some very obviously male junk—scent that made Roxas’ entire frame shiver involuntarily.

It started to come back to him piece by piece.

The scent that wafted to him in the rain, the sweetest smell Roxas had ever come across. The grit of sand against his feet, washed away by a thin sheet of water over asphalt, as he trailed behind that scent and into a cozy house just off the beach. The feel of warm smooth skin against his, the slip of sweat and heat and the sticky coat of slick on his fingers. The tang of it against his tongue.

There was no distinguishable moment Roxas could pinpoint amidst the memories of burning heat, the slap of wet skin and the grip of fingers in flesh. Nothing that stood out within the cacophony of hazy images and feelings and sounds, so muddled it was like squinting through murky water.

None except the bite.

Which was. Well, it was kinda stupid when Roxas registered it. It’d happened so quickly he hadn’t even given a thought to it. Yeah, he bit Sora. So what? He was _supposed to_, right? Except, no. He really wasn’t, and he wanted to smack himself for it because now it was prodding at the back of his mind like someone had taken the back end of a broom and thwacked him with it repeatedly.

Great.

Rolling off of Sora, Roxas grimaced at the gross feel of dried body fluids and perspiration, both his and his bed partner’s. He rested on his side, brushing his wet hair out of his eyes and watching Sora shift until he was on his back, also drenched in sweat and covered in cum and slick. The sort of thing Roxas would normally find grody enough to rouse him into taking a shower over, but he was a bit too relaxed to move. Something about this seemed so…_natural_. From the languid, cat-like way Sora stretched in his sleep to the bright red crescent marks displayed in his neck.

To say that would complicate things would be an understatement.

That mark still looked fresh, despite having an entire night’s worth of time to at least scab over. And it was placed smack dab over Sora’s scent gland. Both of which meant it was permanent.

That was a claiming mark.

They were _bound_.

Roxas might as well have shoved a ring on the man’s finger. And that still would not have matched up to how serious a bond bite like that was. That was for life.

Roxas had just done that to a veritable stranger.

How in the hell was he gonna explain this one?

Sighing, he ran his hands through his hair again before digging a thumb in his temple. He wanted to panic about this. This was more than just getting caught up in a summer fling, he’d basically just promised his life to this guy. He should’ve been losing his shit.

Yet somehow he…wasn’t.

Peeking over at Sora again, Roxas felt nothing but calm wash over him. Acceptance. As if this was all according to fate’s design and he’d simply done his part by following through. Which was, as far as Roxas was concerned, absolutely stupid. The only thing that had any control over Roxas’ fate was Roxas. Right?

So why it felt like he’d just made the best decision of his life, Roxas couldn’t fathom.

It certainly muddied the elation the longer he dwelled on it though.

Realistically, he was in for a world of pain once Sora woke up and Roxas would have to figure out how to now fit him into his life. He couldn’t just ditch Sora after all. Even without the bond bite, that wouldn’t have felt right. He wasn’t the type to leave people high and dry like that and he wasn’t going to start with someone who didn’t even deserve it.

How was he going to do this?

Sora finally stirred then, as if his slumber was disturbed by Roxas’ frantic thoughts. It was so picturesque how his eyes fluttered open, and Roxas was confronted with bright blue, a deeper color than his own, softened with sleep and squinted into a smile. It was fitting for him. Sora seemed like the type of person to smile a lot. And it made Roxas even more apprehensive at the thought that he’d have to wipe that smile off Sora’s face once he explained what he’d done.

“’Morning,” Sora mumbled as he wiped sleep from his eyes and shifted a bit to face Roxas better, still stretched out on his back with his legs tangled in the sheets. Roxas’ attention only shifted to the bitemark once again.

“…Hey.”

“That wasn’t very enthusiastic,” Sora chuckled.

“Do you…remember anything about last night?”

“Uhhh…besides the hours of mindless fucking?”

Roxas rolled his eyes at that.

“_Yes_, Sora, besides that.”

“Umm…hmm…” Sora tilted his head to the side in thought and Roxas’ gaze slid down once again to that red crescent mark, feeling a grimace start to drag the corners of his mouth down. “Let’s see, I was really buzzed out on heat and the scent was driving me nuts so I went out in the rain. It did clear my head a little bit but then I met you by that rock outcropping and I kept telling myself not to jump you because it was really obvious you were an alpha.”

That was a surprise. Sora had seemed in complete control when Roxas had talked to him before…er, everything else happened. Roxas hadn’t even gotten the notion that Sora wanted to jump him until he’d led Roxas to his house.

“But I guess you must’ve smelled me because you gave me this look like you wanted to eat me and that just kinda fried my brain, so I went back home and hoped you would follow me. Everything after that is kinda jumbled though. All I know is that it felt really, really good and holy hell you’re amazing in bed.”

That stroked something inside Roxas a little too nicely. Which was distracting.

Shaking his head, he tapped a finger lightly to Sora’s neck.

“You don’t remember this?”

“Remember what?”

God, was Roxas really going to have to spell this out?

“I bit you, Sora,” he sighed through gritted teeth.

“Oh!” Sora exclaimed, eyes wide and blinking rapidly in realization. He slid his hand over the bite mark and, unexpectedly, smiled _wider_. How was he happy about this? He was in the middle of his heat when he’d let Roxas bite him; he might as well have been drunk.

“You can punch me if you want,” Roxas sighed, leaving his hand over his face. He wasn’t sure he wouldn’t punch himself for all of this, at this rate.

“…Punch you?” That smile started to wane now, replacing itself instead with a confused quirk of the lip, and Roxas _could not explain_ why he suddenly felt so guilty at the sight of it. It made sense. He _should_ be upset. And he told Sora as much.

“Huh?” Sora blinked at him, perplexed. “Why would I be upset? You’re my—”

And Roxas cut him off there with a finger to his lips, because the last thing he wanted to hear was ‘you’re my alpha’. He wasn’t sure how it worked on Destiny Islands but in Twilight Town that archaic subservient mindset omegas used to hold towards alphas was long out of vogue. Not even Roxas’ grandparents thought that way about their natural roles. They were just _people_.

“Please don’t. I shouldn’t have bitten you—”

“I wanted you to bite me.”

Huh. Well, at least he remembered that. Roxas didn’t quite know what he’d do if Sora had straight up forgotten and ended up calling a lawyer on him.

Bafflingly, Sora seemed to be interested in only the opposite as he wrapped his arms around Roxas’ middle and pulled him back on top of him. Roxas offered no resistance, too shocked by how…_not_ upset Sora was.

“How could you…?” Roxas trailed off, his arms on either side of Sora as he stared down into calm, accepting eyes. “How are you okay with this? We don’t even _know_ each other!”

He got a shrug in response.

“We’ll get to know each other.”

“Sure, yeah, except I live in Twilight Town and you live _here_ and this isn’t going to work if we’re _bonded_.”

“Don’t sweat it. Twilight Town’s a six-hour flight away, we could just visit each other. And, you know, exchange numbers and stuff so we can talk when we can’t visit.”

Sora’s hands slid from around Roxas to instead rest behind his head, the picture of ‘carefree’. And Roxas wasn’t sure if he should be miffed, shocked or relieved. He settled for all three.

“You realize plane tickets are expensive, right?”

“It doesn’t have to be all the time—”

“No, Sora, you don’t get it.” Grimacing fully now, Roxas placed his hands at the sides of Sora’s face and squished his cheeks, holding his head steady so that he had Sora’s full attention. “We’re _bonded_. There’s a lot more to this than just visiting each other every once in a while. We’re _supposed_ to be together. _All the goddamn time_.”

“Well yeah, eventually it’ll reach that point. But you know, it’s not gonna kill anybody if we start out slow. We can make it work. Most people don’t _want_ to be far away from their special someone, after all.”

“But you’re no—”

And Roxas stopped himself cold. He knew what was about to come out of his mouth, and it felt so _wrong_. It was the most conflicting thing he’d ever experienced. Sora was supposed to be a one-night-stand, nothing more. He wasn’t supposed to mean anything more than that to Roxas. But he couldn’t say it. Hell, he couldn’t even see it that way. He wouldn’t be here now, arguing with Sora over a mark that never should’ve happened if Sora didn’t matter to him. He wasn’t even in rut: he simply _never would have bitten him_. The fact that he did…

There was just…something about Sora. And it was the cheesiest, most stupid thought that had ever crossed Roxas’ mind, yet somehow it wasn’t. Somehow it made sense. _Sora_ made sense. Of course they should get to know each other. Of course they should exchange numbers and visit each other. It was as natural as breathing, just being near him.

So Roxas shut his mouth before he could finish that thought.

Despite the fact that Sora seemed to pick up on what he was about to say anyway. His eyes got a little darker, his mouth twitching down into an unsure frown, and suddenly everything that could go wrong in the world did go wrong.

“No, wait!” Roxas started. He didn’t even know what he was about to say, but he knew he needed to say it. He needed to say something to cheer Sora up. It hadn’t escaped him how Sora must’ve picked up on his mood and was trying to soothe him with his laidback words and posture, nor had it escaped him that no pheromones had been used to do so. He owed Sora the same respect, he knew. And he _wanted_ to see him smile again. Smiles seemed to just belong on his face, like that was his default expression. Maybe that was where the guilt came from. The idea that Roxas managed to take Sora’s natural state of being away just because he couldn’t figure himself out.

Granted, he still needed to do that too. Later, though. He couldn’t concentrate on one thing if _both_ of them were off kilter.

“I’m not… I’m not upset at you. I’m just kinda angry at myself for letting this happen, really,” Roxas sighed. Understanding crossed Sora’s face, and he was infinitely grateful that it wiped the frown away.

“It’s okay, Roxas.” The tingly feeling was back, even stronger as it washed over Roxas’ skin at the sound of his name on Sora’s tongue. He really didn’t know what that was, but he wasn’t going to complain. It wasn’t a bad feeling. “I get that it’s scary. Trust me, I’m not all sunshine and daisies about it either. How often do you think I let alphas in my house? I’ll answer that for you: you’re the first in about a year now. But I _know_ this is going to turn out alright, and I wouldn’t be telling you that if I didn’t.”

“And how _do_ you know?”

Sora grinned wide and Roxas nearly melted against him.

“Because you’re my—”

“Please don’t say ‘because I’m your alpha’.”

“I wasn’t going to, but alright.”

Roxas raised an eyebrow at that, curious as to what it was Sora _was_ going to say, but the subject was quickly changed before he could ask.

“You know, for someone who’s so tripped out over this, you sure have no problem feeling me up.”

Blinking in confusion, Roxas took note of how his hands had trailed down as they spoke until they were snuggly fitted around Sora’s hips, fingers gripping the sides of his butt, before he snatched them away as if they’d been burned. Sora only burst into laughter, hooking his legs around Roxas’ waist before he could scoot away completely.

“I didn’t say I minded,” he grinned, still laid back with his hands behind his head as if they hadn’t just had a serious conversation about how they were now mated for life.

Roxas could feel a headache coming on just at the thought of it.

“You’re way too cool about all of this,” he sighed, letting Sora’s legs hold him there and resting his arms on either side of Sora’s head.

“Roxas. Are you telling me I should _upset_ that there’s an attractive alpha in my bed?”

Well, yeah, under normal circumstances Roxas would be in agreement. He’d gotten his little dream summer fling that he hadn’t expected and, granted, never really asked for, and he’d managed to score it with an incredibly cute partner.

But this wasn’t exactly _normal_.

“What you should be upset about is the fact that some random alpha ended up in your bed during your heat. People usually discuss these things beforehand,” Roxas pointed out. Not even his past relationships crossed this line. Heats were, quite frankly, terrifying and Roxas had learned to keep away the moment talks of nesting even permeated the air—

“Well I’m not in heat _now_ and I still want you here.”

Roxas shot Sora a skeptical glance.

“That’s just the b—”

“It’s not the bite!” Frustration finally crossed Sora’s face when he interrupted. “Roxas, I don’t give a fuck who you bit, _I_ want _you_ here.”

But that was…

Huh…

“You really don’t need to overthink this. Ever thought maybe I just like you?”

“You don’t even know me,” Roxas huffed. Sora poked at the furrow in his brow, shrugging and smiling easily.

“I want to get to know you.”

Groaning, Roxas shifted down until he was rested on top of Sora in defeat. It wasn’t…bad that Sora wanted to get to know Roxas. And his nonchalance towards the entire situation at least soothed Roxas a little. There were still worries: he’d still bitten Sora in his heat and that was not the sort of thing he could take back, and he was only going to be on the islands for two weeks so they weren’t going to have the most time to get to know one another, and Roxas knew the moment he’d get on that plane he’d be longing to come back for his bonded mate and that would cause _issues_ while trying to get readjusted to normal life but…

Sora was so intriguing. Roxas didn’t think he’d ever met anyone like him and…

Maybe he wanted to get to know Sora too.

He finally nodded in agreement against Sora’s neck, deciding to just take his route and go with the flow. They’d work _something_ out. Probably.

“Well, I’m here. Where do you wanna start?”

Sora carded his fingers lightly through Roxas’ hair, leaving that tingling feeling running over his scalp again, and he tried to hold back a shiver. That was really starting to weird him out; in fact, his general reactions to Sora were starting to weird him out but he couldn’t figure out _why_. He wasn’t even sure if they were worth freaking out over. So maybe he liked Sora a little more than anyone he’d been involved with in the past? Sure it was a bit of a strong reaction to someone he met _yesterday_, but was it a bad thing? It wasn’t going to kill anyone to like someone.

At least, he hoped he would like the person he just fucking _bonded to_.

“I don’t really know where to start. Never been in this situation before…”

Yes well, Roxas would imagine if anyone else had beaten him to the punch on biting Sora, he’d have been chased off by whichever alpha got there first. So yeah, obviously Sora hadn’t. And quite frankly, neither had Roxas.

“Don’t expect _me_ to know. It usually takes a few dates to even get to the ‘sex part’. Never had to get to know someone _afterward_.”

“Ummm… Hm. Well, you never finished telling me about Twilight Town.”

“It’s boring, the end.”

“C’mon, Roxas!” A pair of fingers tugged at a lock of Roxas’ hair in reprimand and he tried to ignore how his body responded pleasantly to that. “At least _try_ to play along!”

“Sora, you’re covered in both our body fluids and we’re laid out on your bed. This isn’t really the best place for what you’re going for,” Roxas sighed. His fingers played absentmindedly along Sora’s skin, not in any sort of provocative way, but still pointedly not in an innocent way.

It still seemed to catch Sora’s interest.

“Yeah, I guess the bedroom’s best for…_other things_.”

Sora’s tone of voice brought an absurd image of waggling eyebrows to Roxas’ mind and he hoped Sora wasn’t actually doing that if he was going in the direction Roxas thought he was going in.

“Are you trying to seduce me?”

“Maybe.”

“Sora…”

“Is it working?”

Roxas peered up to find a wide, goofy smile adorning Sora’s face, his eyes squinted cheerfully and his cheeks puffed up cutely with the effort. Not exactly what he’d call ‘seductive’, but well…

His face was still half buried in Sora’s neck, and his scent wafted to Roxas in wisps and it was so _perfect_. No longer as strong as the previous night, it was like resting at home and waiting for a loaf of fresh bread sitting in the oven to finish baking. Sweet and buttery and calming. It wrapped him up in a warmth not unlike an embrace; calmed his heartbeat and soothed his nerves. And though it’d lost its overpowering edge: that sharp, hot sting that almost _burned_ in all the right ways, it still brought back flashes of memories. Images that passed before Roxas’ eyes, of flushed skin and red flesh and shining wetness. It still flooded his skin with phantoms of sensation, of burning fingers and stinging nails and the slide of a tongue against his. The vice of heat that cocooned him when he pushed inside. The heady euphoria, the loss of his senses…

Maybe Sora’s seduction attempt was working better than either of them thought it would. Without Sora even trying, really.

“You’re gonna be the death of me, you know that,” Roxas huffed out a short laugh as he spoke, finding a fondness building in his chest. Not that inexplicable desperation that he’d been periodically feeling around Sora, but just a growing affection for the omega. The ‘get to know you’ kind. Or, at least in this case, the _want_ to get to know Sora.

“I hope I’m not. That’d ruin my whole ‘evil seduction plot’, don’t you think?” Sora chuckled, still scratching his fingers lightly into the fluff of hair at the back of Roxas’ head. He found himself relaxing into the touch easily, even pressing another kiss to the bond mark. He didn’t miss the way Sora shuddered at that.

“You sure you’re up to this?” Heats put a lot of stress on the body, and it wasn’t like Roxas was looking to _hurt_ Sora. “You might need a break.”

Sora shook his head at that.

“Maybe if we went at it for the whole week I might need a break. But it was just one night and I know my limits. I’m _fine_, Roxas.” The reassurance in his words and in his voice was convincing enough, Roxas supposed. Still, they’d been ‘at it’ almost the entire night. “So, whad’ya say? Wanna go again?”

Roxas frowned a little at him, unsure of what the best choice here would be. He wanted to say ‘no’. Of course it was a ‘no’, he shouldn’t have been there in Sora’s bed in the first place…

He also wanted to say ‘yes’.

He thought of the irresistible scent that had filled his nostrils, so potent he could taste it. He thought about Sora’s actual taste on his tongue; the salty sweet flavor of his sweat, the natural honeyed taste of his skin, the caramel essence of his slick on Roxas’ tongue. Everything about him was intoxicating, more so than any other person he’d been with before.

It was inexplicable. It made no sense, and yet…

Roxas wanted more of it. More, more, _more_, until he was _soaking_ in nothing but Sora. _Drowning_ in him. He wasn’t even in heat anymore and yet he—

He made no sense.

Even now, as he stretched purposefully, his arms above his head and his back arched. His skin a smooth, tan expanse broken up only by brown, peaked nipples. All an attempt to allure. A much better ‘evil seduction plot’ than anything he could’ve said.

It worked exceedingly well.

“Fine,” Roxas sighed, closing his eyes to the tempting image in order to rein in at least some semblance of control. It was almost stupid how much of an affect Sora had on him. He couldn’t be upset for it, though. He wanted this too. He knew if he didn’t, it’d have been much easier this time around to just get up and leave. At least, he _thought_ he knew. “One more time—_Just one_!”

He had to emphasize this in particular before they began, not just for Sora who was cheering gleefully, but for himself. If he wasn’t careful, he’d stay buried in Sora all day. All week, even. Until the end of time, he was certain.

It just felt so…natural. Like pulling away was the absolute worst choice Roxas could make in this situation. Leaving now would ruin everything. He had to _stay_. He had to stay for him and for Sora. He _needed_ this.

Roxas’ eyes squeezed shut once more as he tried to will the invasive thoughts away. There was no need for them. It was just sex; no need to wig out.

“You alright?” Sora asked, his fingers running through Roxas’ hair again in a more comforting gesture this time. “You know if you don’t want to, we—”

“If I didn’t want to, I wouldn’t still be here.”

“So…” One of those fingers had a lock of hair wrapped around it as Sora played with it thoughtfully and Roxas pursed his lips at the odd feeling, not entirely sure if he wanted to push Sora’s hand away or let him be. It didn’t escape him how much of an affect even casual touches from Sora had on him. “We just gonna lay here, or…?”

“Backed up much?” Roxas snorted, tickling down Sora’s side and smiling when it earned him a few giggles.

“Did you seriously just ask me that? Dude, you’re lying on top of me. Naked. And you basically just told me you want this too, so don’t pick on me!”

Shifting up until they were face to face, Roxas pressed an amused kiss to Sora’s pout.

“Alright, I’ll stop.” For now. Sora was too easy, and Roxas found himself wanting to pick on him more just to see all of his reactions. Later though. For now, Sora had a point. They were both naked and willing, and there was really no reason to stop at this point.

“Yeah, yeah…” Sora finally slid his hands out of Roxas’ hair, one circling around his back as fingers ran the length of his spine while the other poked at Roxas’ cheek. “Kiss me again and I’ll forgive you.”

The finger pressed into his face was pushed away gently before Roxas leaned down to do exactly that. It was cheesy and he had to fight back a snort, and he _knew_ he was grinning into the kiss, but somehow that made it better. They could be themselves this time. As mindless as sex in heat could get, it was no wonder they’d forgotten themselves (along with half the night). To hear Sora joke around, play with him and earn his pouts, listen to his snarky comments and tease him back was somehow more pleasurable than the previous night. Sure it felt great, but personality was what made sex _fun_. It was why Roxas generally never went for one-night stands. And he found himself, understandably, hoping he could spend more nights with Sora. Ones that were like this, where they could laugh together and enjoy one another before they even started. Where even touches as light and innocent as these could still send shivers down Roxas’ spine.

When they turned heavier, grabbing and groping and wanting, it was so smooth a transition that Roxas barely noticed it. No awkward ‘what do I do’s and ‘how do I touch’s and ‘are you sure you like this’s. Roxas’ personal favorite had been the ‘I don’t think you’re actually enjoying this with me, there’s someone else isn’t there’ one and that had been about sixty degrees of awkward with someone he’d been dating exclusively for three months at that point. Nothing like that marred his experience with Sora though. It was like the pieces just lined up perfectly. Tongues slid together, creating a wet symphony of sound, and hands explored shamelessly. Roxas slid his palms up the length of Sora’s torso, refamiliarizing himself with every inch of smooth, warm skin, while kissing down the length of Sora’s neck until his lips met the unmarred side. Pressing soft kisses to it and feeling Sora’s pulse quicken against his lips; hearing him swallow thickly as his body shifted up to meet Roxas’. His nails scratched lightly along Roxas’ back, up the nape of his neck and back into his hair, pulling at it lightly before trailing down again. Gripping tightly into his skin as he trailed his lips down the length of Sora, sucking at the skin in hopes of leaving marks. Pressing wet kisses to his collarbone, his nipple, his sternum, his navel, until he reached a patch of chestnut colored hair. He nuzzled his nose into it for a moment before kissing the arousal beneath it that bobbed every time Sora impatiently shifted his hips.

It was almost calming in a way, just taking his time enjoying Sora’s scent. Sure, it wasn’t as overwhelming as it had been the previous night but it still held an allure stronger than anything Roxas had previously experienced. He was drawn to Sora so intensely; it was mindboggling. Everything about him made Roxas’ senses hum in satisfaction. He almost wondered if it was simply instinct driving his thought process, but that was ridiculous. He’d never responded to anyone else this way. Just Sora.

It was pleasing to think that he affected Sora the same way, though. The quips and cheeky grins had lessened, replaced instead with a deep focus in Sora’s gaze as his mouth fell slack and he panted softly. Still combing his fingers through Roxas’ hair, though it was no longer in a soothing gesture so much as the tiny twitches of gripping digits felt like he was trying to hold on. Not quite at the point of grabbing or pulling, but Roxas could admit he sort of wanted that. He could picture in his mind a blissed-out Sora pulling at Roxas’ locks as his hips thrusted him into Roxas’ mouth and holy shit was it a pretty image. Roxas could feel a shudder run through him at the thought of it and that solidified his decision before he even realized one needed to be made.

He wanted Sora in his mouth.

Nestled between Sora’s legs, Roxas circled his hand around a thin, firm thigh before hefting the leg over his shoulder. His fingers lingered on the plush skin of the inner side, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip as he contemplated what it would be like if he left his mark there. If he bit into that supple flesh and watched Sora shake and squirm from the sensation. If he licked away the blood and sweat and saliva before moving his lips to a sweeter prize. If the taste of slick met his tongue. If he took hot flesh into his mouth and sucked until liquid heat flooded his mouth.

God, he wanted that.

And Sora spread his legs wider, giving a clear go-ahead. Roxas was far from one to decline the opportunity.

Licking his bottom lip, he sealed his mouth over the supple skin of one of those inner thighs and _sucked_. Sora arched at the feeling, his fingers digging into Roxas’ scalp where they’d threaded into his hair. It only spurred him on, pressing wet, sucking kisses over every inch of tan skin, and watching patches of red bloom in response. Just the taste of him was intoxicating, and like an addiction, Roxas needed _more_. He needed to watch Sora shake with pleasure. He needed to give that to him. He needed the flavor of it on his tongue.

He bit down.

Sora cried out, his head thrown back and his fingers tightening in Roxas’ hair. And Roxas held tight until there was a notable mark left behind. A claim. A warning. No one else could do this to Sora; just him. Only him.

It sent a spark of electricity down his spine and straight to his groin. A pulsing thrum that beat a rushing rhythm through his ears and throbbed all the way to the tip of his cock. He wanted to be _inside_.

But he could take his time this time. Sora wasn’t in heat, and so the need was burning but not unbearable. He was going to make this fun. It wasn’t mating, just sex.

Well. More than just sex, maybe. Roxas had never felt quite this deep under in bed with anyone else.

Now wasn’t the time to dwell on that though.

Not when Sora gasped out an impatient “Don’t tease me.” That was all Roxas needed to hear.

Skipping straight to the chase wasn’t normally how he went about this, not when the buildup made the payoff that much sweeter, but rationality flew out the window as Roxas continued to breathe in Sora’s scent. So ready and willing and _wanting_. So he pushed Sora’s legs back and slipped his tongue out to lapped it over a plush cheek, right where a smear of slick marred the otherwise unblemished skin. And Sora’s encouraging moan drove him to part those cheeks with his fingers and lick a short line over the source. It twitched in response and Roxas had to fight the urge to just push inside. Instead he continued to lap over Sora’s hole, flicking his tongue over it and sucking at the slick that spilled out. Sinking his fingers into the skin at Sora’s hips when he thrusted them upwards again and holding him still as he tongued and slurped at his entrance, messily so. Enough that spit and slick dripped down his chin and coated his lips.

Even outside of heat, Sora was intoxicating. Just the taste of him, the smell of him, the sight of him writhing and arching his back, the sound of his breathy gasps, was enough to send a constant throb of arousal through Roxas’ body. An uncontrollable torrent of pure pleasure. An uncontrollable _need_ for Sora. As if all the pieces fit the moment they touched and breaking that contact would ruin them. And Roxas didn’t want to break it. Not when it felt so _good_.

Sora was a consistent stream of encouragement, pressing back against Roxas’ face with his hands clutching at Roxas’ hair. Mumbling a jumbled, incomprehensible flood of praises and pleas and Roxas’ name like a broken record. When words came to him at all, that was. Occasional shivers wracked his entire body at the stimulation it was receiving, and the noises coming out of his mouth were completely unintelligible. Not that Roxas minded. Something inside him _preened_ at the idea that he was doing this to Sora. He was rendering him speechless with barely more than a few hickeys, a love bite and a sloppy rim job. And Sora _wasn’t even in heat_.

Yeah. Roxas was certain now that there was more to this than just sex.

‘Just sex’ had never left any of his partners shaking like a leaf. ‘Just sex’ had never been so addicting that Roxas found he couldn’t stop. He’d have laid there with his head between Sora’s legs forever if he could’ve, subsisting off of Sora and Sora alone. ‘Just sex’ had never tasted or smelled sweeter. He couldn’t stop. He didn’t want to.

Even when he pulled his lips away from Sora’s hole with a wet pop, licking the slick off of them, he wasn’t finished. He licked a line of saliva unevenly over Sora’s sack, drawing one of the round orbs into his mouth and sucking gently at it. Pressing kisses over the skin until he met the base of Sora’s cock. Small and fat and red. Delectable enough for Roxas to treat himself to in its entirety.

He wasn’t so far gone that he couldn’t enjoy it though.

Lapping his tongue over the tip, slowly so that Sora could feel it—and clearly he did judging by how he’d arched off the bed again, legs jerking as they slid back into a more comfortable position, Roxas released one of his hips to instead circle his hand around the base. He wouldn’t stroke, not when that would be too overwhelming, but he wanted to at least have an anchor for them both. Especially when he pressed his lips to that reddened tip then, letting it slowly push past them until Sora’s length slid over his tongue and filled his mouth completely, ending at the back of his throat. Lingering only for a second as he reflexively swallowed around it, thanking his lucky stars that he didn’t gag on reflex instead, before it pulled back. Another smooth, hot slide; back and forth, and back and forth again as Roxas bobbed his head and hollowed his cheeks, sucking between each breath.

Sora only babbled more, his nails scrabbling at the sheets for purchase. His moans loud now, drawn out and almost entirely wordless. _Ahh, ahh, ahh_ over and over again in time with each bob of Roxas’ head. The occasional curse and shout of Roxas’ name was thrown in the mix. Roxas’ fingers tightened around the base, squeezing in tandem with each cry automatically. His tongue sliding across the underside, licking over veins and hot flesh before ending at the tip when he pulled back, flicking over the slit. Back down again, eased with the saliva that pooled in his mouth and dripped down his chin.

A burst of flavor hit his tongue and collected at the back of his throat, and he paused when he pulled back once more to suck hard around the tip and taste more of it. And Sora nearly screamed.

“N-no, no, I don’t wanna—! I want you inside, I—! Please!”

That was all it took. Roxas was moving before he was even consciously aware of it. His hands were pressed back into plush thighs, gripping them as he pushed them to Sora’s chest again. Holding them open so that he could push inside with ease. And he was still wet with slick and saliva, glistening invitingly.

There were no seconds wasted before Roxas pushed in. No warning, no questions, no hesitation. Sora was ready for him, he’d made that more than clear. Roxas could _smell_ it. Something in his scent that seemed to beckon him. That _dared_ him to wait a second longer.

He wasn’t one to keep his partners waiting.

It was like… It was almost as if Sora _was_ in heat still, from the mindless way he seemed to absorb Roxas. There was no rational thought involved. No second guessing. There was only Sora and his scent, and his body heat, and his everything. His trusting blue eyes that watched Roxas with a sensual glint, his flushed red skin marked up with bites and dotted with hickeys, his slick, velvet smooth embrace around Roxas’ sex, squeezing rhythmically.

Roxas barely had a moment to even gather himself, take the time to let Sora adjust, when he was all but reprimanded for taking a second’s pause.

“_Move_.”

And that flashed through him like a strike of lightning.

Sora’s legs slid from Roxas’ grip, his fingers instead clutching once more at the soft skin at Sora’s hips. His breaths heavy and his mind clouded, as if he was experiencing a high without having taken a drug. Everything else was nonsense to him: why would he be anywhere but here, buried nearly knot deep in the most intoxicating omega he’d ever met? Why would he _not_ be moving? It was so _simple_. They were here on this bed because they wanted to feel _good_.

And damn did it feel _so fucking good_.

Sora was pure slick and heat and scent and sex. Laid beautifully out across the bed, legs spread as Roxas’ reddened cock disappeared in him over and over again. Hands gripping the sheets and clawing at Roxas’ skin and buried in his own hair, head bent back, mouth forming a perfect O. Toes curled, knees bent, sweaty and bouncing to the rhythm. Demanding.

“Ohhh fuck, yes, yes, yes—more! Fuck—_more_!”

More, more, more, more.

Until he was dripping with sweat and slick and cum. Until he was no longer speaking.

Roxas gave him more. Faster, harder. More, more, more. To the point that he was fucking into Sora almost mindlessly, almost _ravenously_. He was sure he was leaving red marks on Sora’s skin where he was gripping those soft hips so tightly, where his own hips slapped against Sora’s ass with each swing. No longer coordinated or sensical or even conscious really. He didn’t have to think about what Sora wanted. What _he_ wanted. He could smell it. He could feel it. He could feel his pulse beating thunderously in his veins. He could _hear_ it. It was ultimately background noise. Inconsequential. Nothing else mattered but him and Sora, right here and now, joined in the most intimate of ways. Again.

He wished he could say it stayed slow and steady. The sort of joining that carefully worked his partner up to a satisfying climax. The sort where they writhed and moaned softly through it, thrusting their hips up to catch more of the pleasure Roxas was more than happy to give. The sort where their heads titled back and they breathed heavily, bodies undulating with each wave of pleasure that trickled over their skin in a slow wave. Back and forth, back and forth. The motion lulling them into a state of pure satiation.

This was not that.

This was raw, untamed. Wild. This was the sound of the bed slamming against the wall, the floorboards creaking and the mattress springs squeaking. This was rough, skin slapping, each thrust punctuated by the wet smack of pelvis meeting hips over and over and over. The image of Sora nearly broken in half, back arched severely, sobbing in time with their movements. His eyes not quite closed, that deep blue rolled back until there was only a glimpse of ocean irises at the edge of pure white. Breathless and frantic. Fingers digging into soft hips, yanking them back against Roxas at a fast, uneven tempo. Thrusts up at an angle that sent throbs through Roxas’ groin when Sora squeezed around him in response, vomiting a torrent of nonsensical words from spittle dotted lips. Mouth open wide when language failed him and his babbles were replaced with a long string of ‘_ah, ah, ah, ah_’ on repeat. His red cock bouncing against his stomach, leaving tiny spatters of clear precum that had beaded from the flushed tip, still slightly wet from the sloppy blow job it’d received minutes prior.

Sora grasped at the sheets with hooked fingers, clawing at them and tangling into them. Slipping on the layer of sweat they left puddled under them. His feet scrambling before Roxas grabbed his legs and hefted them up over his shoulders, leaning forward so that his hands were planted on each side of Sora’s head. Their breaths mingling, voices echoing, a cacophony of moans and expletives and Sora was _screaming_ now because, fuck, everything felt so _good_. He heard his name on those pink lips, fractured and rearranged and melting into each cry until it lost all meaning. Felt the shape of Sora’s on his. Felt the warm flecks of fluid against his stomach in the same moment he shook through the tight vice like contractions around his sex, rhythmic and fast and _sucking him in_. Dragging every drop of cum out of him and wracking shudders through him when he pushed his knot in and felt Sora _squeeze_ around it.

It was almost too much.

He was overwhelmed, oversensitive, overstimulated. His hips locked in place before he could completely ruin himself trying to drive into that velvet heat any longer. His arms were shaking, and he felt warm, tan ones wrap around his middle and pull him down. Roxas let Sora surround him, blocking out the rest of his senses completely. His face buried in Sora’s neck, lips pressing tiny kisses to the heated skin. His bones turned to jelly in the afterglow.

It was nearly as intense as the previous night. If not for the absence of Sora’s heat, it _would_ have been.

It was…frightening, to say the least. Roxas wasn’t sure he liked how easily he could lose himself with Sora. He wasn’t sure he liked how quickly it’d devolved from ‘just sex’ into…whatever that was that just happened. He wasn’t sure he disliked it either though. Laid on top of Sora, surrounded by his scent, Roxas felt like he belonged there. It wasn’t some sort of out-of-place declaration of his undying devotion or anything. It was just pleasant. The sort of scent that made him want to stretch out and relax. Which contradicted his odd need to claim Sora again like he…

Well, like he just had. He doubted that bite on the inside of Sora’s thigh was going away any time soon. It went beyond just being an alpha in bed with an omega. He’d been through that and he’d never bitten _anyone_, and then Sora shows up and just…turns his entire world inside out. It made _no sense_.

“Roxas…”

Roxas raised an eyebrow, his face still pressed into the crook of Sora’s neck, at his name being called. Sora still sounded like he wasn’t entirely there.

“What?”

“Can you do that again? Please…” There were so many words beyond that please that Roxas could still hear despite them going unspoken. _Please please please_, it said. _Make me feel good again. Do it again until neither of us can move_. It was in his _scent_.

“I don’t know if—” his half-assed protest was swiftly cut off.

“Again. _Please_,” Sora panted, digging his fingers into Roxas’ arms as if to hold him there when Roxas shifted up to look at him. Eyes squeezed shut as if afraid to see rejection in Roxas’.

“Sora…”

And Roxas didn’t have the heart or will to do so. He ran his hands along Sora’s sides soothingly, leaning down to press a tiny peck to his lips. Coaxing his eyes open so that Roxas could met them when he nodded ‘yes’.

He wanted to smack himself for not keeping to his word, but right now he couldn’t find it in him to care.

They started up again.

-o-o-o-o-

It was right in the thick of it that Roxas heard his phone first ring.

Keyword: _heard_. He couldn’t pay it any mind when his hands were gripped in flexing thighs, Sora’s heavy breaths washing over him as he rolled his hips; stuttered when he started to bounce in Roxas’ lap. Back straightening, head tipping back, mouth open. So warm and pliant in Roxas’ palms, sighing out quiet moans through red, kiss-swollen lips.

They were on their third round. Roxas wasn’t even sure what time it was and he didn’t really care. Daylight streamed through Sora’s windows, casting him in an aura of warm gold and it made him far more interesting to Roxas than the time of day. They’d alternated between slow and sensual and fast and frantic. Getting to know one another’s body in the periods where Roxas was connected to Sora completely, unable to move unless he wanted to cause them both pain. And when his knot shrunk and he and Sora were back in the throws of it, they put everything they learned to good use. Roxas had figured out that Sora was adorably sensitive in general. He shivered when Roxas grazed his teeth over his ears, gasped when his nipples were brushed lightly by wandering fingers, moaned when kisses and nips were placed to the skin over his pulse. And he reciprocated eagerly, running his hands over Roxas’ skin, playing with his hair when he’d figured out that it sent tingles down Roxas’ spine, stroking him back to hardness after each knotting.

He wasn’t shy about anything either, Roxas had learned. He was sure his face was still burning after Sora had stuck his ass in the air, wiggling it as his fingers parted his cheeks and opened him up. Watching Roxas with a knowing smirk on his face.

He was actually kind of a cheeky little shit about it. He’d earned himself a smack on one of his buttcheeks in response, which backfired on Roxas when Sora let out a loud, surprised, and very receptive groan.

He’d have to delve deeper into that one later. For now, Roxas was content to stare up at Sora and take in every bit of the view he was rewarded. The pucker of his lips, slightly parted. The fan of his eyelashes over his cheekbones. The rise and fall of his chest as he sucked every bit of air he could in. The bounce of his cock, once again red and dripping. Roxas circled his fingers around it and smiled at the music it produced: the staccato of moans that rose in pitch and crescendo with each stroke.

Another sound, actual music, joined in again and was staunchly ignored as Roxas rolled Sora over and decided he’d had enough of just watching. He was sure it was easier on Sora’s legs too as they practically flopped on either side of him while Roxas rocked into him. Slowly at first. Evenly. Like he was trying to prove to himself that they _could_ do this without him flipping his shit like he was suddenly in rut.

At first quickly devolved into ‘not at all, shit I can’t do this’. He couldn’t. He couldn’t help himself. Sora was like a continuous hit to a highly addictive drug. He couldn’t keep a stable head when he was _drowning_ in Sora. He couldn’t stop himself from speeding up until they were back where they started: fast and crazy and really, _really_ fucking good. Sora’s legs ended up hooked over Roxas’ waist, letting him fill Sora completely and leaving his entire length coated in slick once again.

Everything was stifling hot, slippery from sweat and sticky from slick and cum. Up close and personal. Very personal. Roxas’ hands gripped Sora’s skin almost possessively, sliding up and burying themselves in Sora’s hair, holding his head back as he lavished his neck in kisses. Still frantically fucking into him as the pressure built up inside him and spilt over without preamble, trying to ride out the high of his orgasm. Not bothering to knot him again, not when he wanted to keep doing this until Sora was so far gone he wasn’t speaking language anymore.

“Roxas—ngh! Hold up!”

Which, clearly, he needed to work a little harder at. He was softening now, but he knew he could get it up again pretty quickly—

“Roxas—! Y-your phone is…ngh! Is ringing.”

“And?” What did that matter when Sora was still in his arms, still soft and shaking and deliciously pink? Roxas wanted to mark every inch of his skin—

“A-aren’t you on vacation? What if it’s—_ohhh fuck_!—if it’s someone important?”

Shit.

He’d completely forgotten, fuck.

Sure enough, the sounds of music filtered from downstairs, faint but just loud enough for both of them to pick up on.

“…Is your ringtone Cher, seriously?” Sora huffed out a laugh past his heavy breaths, and Roxas flicked him on the nose.

“Don’t judge me,” he griped, still seated fully inside Sora despite the fact that he came. Sora hadn’t yet and it was bothering him.

“At least let me take care of that before I get it,” Roxas sighed, wrapping his fingers around Sora’s still red, still hard dick and jerking it in quick, tight movements. Sora grit his teeth and let his head fall back, his hips shifting up at the sensation again and squeezing around Roxas, stimulating him a bit too much. His lips thinned in discomfort and he finally pulled out, fully focused now on getting Sora off.

“_All I really wanna dooo is, baby, be friends with you. Baby, be friends with you_—”

“I don’t know how I feel about coming to Cher.”

“Oh my god, Sora.”

“_Now I ain’t looking to fight with you. Frighten you or uptighten you_—”

“Pfft…please answer your phone.”

It jingled for a few more seconds before suddenly stopping after the next chorus and both of them sat in the silence, Roxas’ hand still groped around Sora’s dick while they stared at each other awkwardly.

… “_All I really wanna_—”

“Fucking swear to god—_fine_!” Roxas threw his hands up before climbing off the bed as Sora’s laughter chimed behind him. He hadn’t really paid his surroundings much mind on the way into that bedroom and now he found himself stepping over the odd article of clothing strewn on the floor as he tiptoed out of it, weaving through the hall between night stands and a clothes hamper and what looked like a box full of knickknacks that had been there long enough to collect dust. Pictures littered his walls, painting an image of what his life outside of Roxas’ miniscule knowledge was like. An array of friends, most prominently featuring a redheaded girl and a guy with silver hair, a tiny picturesque family with two proud parents and their two beaming children: Sora and a girl Roxas assumed was his sister. They trailed the staircase all the way down until he got into the kitchen where the scent of heat still lingered as it hadn’t been aired out. It was busy: clean but cluttered and a bit old fashioned with the flowered wallpaper and the pastel yellow curtains in the window over the sink. The floor was even still damp from the puddles they’d left after having spent a good amount of time out in the rain, what with the bottom floor being a bit cooler than the stifling heat of Sora’s bedroom. And sure enough, as he crossed the threshold into the living room, he found both of their clothes littering the house entranceway. The back pocket of his shorts lit up and vibrated as Cher filtered through the air again, and Roxas dug his phone out and sighed when he caught the name on the screen.

“…Hey, Xi—”

“Do you have any idea how worried we are?!” Xion screeched into his ear, causing him to flinch and nearly drop the phone. It was already slippery from how much water it’d been trapped in for who knew how long and Roxas hoped it wouldn’t leave any long-lasting damage.

“I can maybe guess…?” Roxas responded sheepishly. The sound of Xion sighing was harsh against the speaker.

“Roxas. I’ve been calling you all morning. And half the goddamn afternoon. And so has Lea, and so has Hayner, and Pence, and Olette, and Naminé. _Where the fuck are you?!_”

“Uhh, I crashed at someone’s place?” His voice was smaller now as it started to hit him all at once exactly what staying with Sora had caused. Sure it was good, great, _amazing_, but it’d also rather dangerously blocked out the rest of the world from existence. He hadn’t even thought about the possibility of his friends looking for him until it was in his face (and in his ear). Suddenly he felt like a total idiot. _Of course_ they’d be worried.

“Someone’s place?! _Whose_ place?!”

“Um.” This probably wasn’t the best time to tell her he’d been fucking around with an omega who’d just been in heat. “I’ll tell you later.”

“_Roxas_—”

“I’m okay. Seriously. No funny business.” Technically. “Just gimme a sec and…” he trailed off, realizing that he didn’t really want to leave. He _had_ to though. He was supposed to be with his friends, living it up on vacation at a resort. Not…not here. Not in Sora’s house making a mess of things. Sighing again, he bent down to pick up his and Sora’s soiled clothes, holding them in the crook of his arm as he wandered back to the bedroom.

“Roxas?” Xion’s voice carried only concern now as the anger died down in the wake of his hesitance.

“Gimme a sec and I’ll be back at the hotel. Where are you guys?”

“We were gonna head to Destiny Park today, but it wouldn’t be the same without you. I guess we’ll stay at the hotel and wait…”

Roxas felt more than a little bad at that. Already he’d messed up The Plan and his friends were now saving the water park for another day. He was tempted to tell them to go without him, but he knew how that would turn out. Xion would yell at him more for thinking he could be excluded and the rest of his friends’ protests would slowly trickle in and he wasn’t really in the mood for that. He’d just have to accept it for now.

“Alright. I’ll see you guys there.”

“Okay, Roxas. Don’t be out too long; we’re seriously worried!”

“I’m okay. Promise.” Roxas had reached the doorway of the bedroom by now, hanging in it as he watched Sora. He sat at the side of the bed now, legs swinging as his toes just barely brushed the array of blankets covering the floor. It didn’t escape Roxas how new streaks of white had marred tan skin. He must’ve taken care of himself while Roxas was downstairs, and somehow that didn’t help his mood. “I’ll see you guys then.”

He hung up just as Sora looked up at him and smiled.

“I’m guessing you’re gonna head back now?” It wasn’t a very bright smile. More subdued and laced with what sounded like disappointment. Roxas nodded slowly.

“Yeah. It’s my friends, and I…”

“It’s okay,” Sora reassured in a voice that wasn’t at all reassuring. “Just, uh… You can come back any time, you know?”

That was probably not the best idea, not with how strong of an affect Sora had on Roxas, but he found his nods quicker now as his body agreed before his mind could catch up.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll come back.”

The quirk of Sora’s lips lifted higher then, turning into something more genuine.

“Good.” Sora’s eyes slid to the pile of clothes on Roxas’ arm. “You can put that in the hamper. I think you should fit my clothes well enough so I’ll lend you some dry ones.”

Nodding one last time, Roxas turned and tossed the clothes in the hamper in the hallway before entering the bedroom fully. Sora slid over to his dresser, something more elaborate than what Roxas would’ve expected from him although its surface was covered in bobbles and figurines that seemed far more Sora-esque. Roxas barely paid any mind to the clothes that were placed into his hands, letting his body take over as his mind took a minute to rest. Too overwhelmed with _everything_ to put forth any more effort than making his arms and legs work as he wandered into Sora’s bathroom and then into his bathtub for a shower. Scrubbing himself idly with whatever cloth and soap Sora had stuck into his hands before he found himself eventually standing motionless under the spray while the night caught up to him. It came back in bits and pieces, the most prominent still being the bite he’d left Sora with. He remembered flashes of Sora pressed against the front door, turned around and flushed as Roxas took him right there. Trailing behind his honey scent and up the bedroom where images of fingers gripped in skin and the smooth slope of Sora’s back and the sounds of moans and skin slapping and bed springs. The linger of heat in Roxas’ nose.

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, Roxas finished his shower and dried off with the towel Sora had left for him, thankful that _he_ at least was thinking more clearly than Roxas was. He slipped on clothes that were a little tight on him, not really even noticing any details about them beyond ‘t-shirt and shorts’, and stepped out to find Sora picking up around himself.

“You go ahead,” he said as he bent down to pick up some of the stray clothes littered around his nest. “I’ve gotta clean up anyway, and then eat something. Unless you want to stay for breakfast…?”

Roxas doubted they were still in the part of the day in which any meal would be considered breakfast.

“Nah, I should go before my friends all have a collective aneurism.”

Sora laughed at that and Roxas found himself smiling at the sound of it.

“Okay then. Hey…” Sora straightened then and puckered his lips slightly. “Parting gift?”

Jokingly letting out a long, slightly dramatic sigh, Roxas walked over and planted a small kiss on those puckered lips.

“Happy?”

“Do it again, I haven’t decided yet.”

Chuckling, Roxas obliged a couple more times until Sora was laughing with him.

“_Now_ I’m happy,” he said.

“Good.”

There it was again. That pull. That feeling in the back of Roxas’ mind that told him leaving was the worst option. The one that told him he needed to _stay_. The one that made no sense. Maybe he might come back…most likely, he figured when his gaze flickered to that bond mark again, but he had no reason to stay right now when his friends were worried and Sora was fine.

It still, inexplicably, took a lot of effort to back away.

“I’ll be back, um…” There was such a juxtaposition of feelings within him, conflicting with one another when his rational side told him he was intruding and his not-so-rational side told him he better be back by the end of that day _at least_.

“Whenever’s cool,” Sora shrugged. The gesture seemed so nonchalant, but that same look was in Sora’s eyes. The same wistful longing that Roxas couldn’t begin to understand.

“Alright. I’ll be back…whenever.”

“Yeah…”

It wasn’t the most awkward of post-sex goodbyes Roxas had gone through, but it still left a heavy feeling in his gut as he descended the stairs again and stepped foot outside of Sora’s house. Life continued on as normal on the outside: people were out on their porches or in their yards, shouting greetings to one another, walking along the streets and towards the beach. A far cry from how everything had changed in the course of one night for Roxas.

He sent one peek back at the house, his eyes scanning the upper windows in hopes of finding Sora in them. Nothing. Probably for the best. He didn’t need to loiter there any longer. So after only a moment’s hesitation, he started in the direction of the beach as well. He wasn’t sure he wanted to go to the hotel just yet. He was still very mixed up about what had just happened and he honestly needed time to himself to figure everything out. It was all so _unlike_ him, after all. The heat and the biting and the marathon of unprotected sex that lasted long into the—

Wait.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fucking shit. Goddamn.

_Fuck_.

He hadn’t worn protection.

And Sora had been in heat. And Roxas came inside him. A lot.

Oh god.

This just got a lot more complicated.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little late with this chapter...
> 
> <strike>It's still Friday somewhere in the world, it counts!</strike>

Kairi started her day off like any other day.

It took her a few minutes to stop lazing around in bed, playing with her omega’s hair, but she was eventually batted off so said omega could start getting ready for work. Sucked for her, Kairi supposed. Kairi got a summer vacation alongside her class. Then again, _someone_ had to pay the bills while Kairi was off. And she’d learned her lesson about taking seasonal jobs at the resort. After the first hospital visit it’d landed her in, she’d decided to make that the last as well. She didn’t know _how_ people worked there; it was a nightmare. Especially in the summer when suddenly otherwise boring old Destiny Islands was the place to be.

The beautiful white sand beaches, the shimmering aquamarine waters, the colorful marine life, the sprawling city situated just off the range of volcanoes and the subsequent volcanic caves, the historic villages and, last but not least, that eyesore of a resort that Kairi occasionally found herself wishing would spontaneously combust one of these days. Sure, the woods that separated her village from the resort kept the noise and the light out, but they were still the closest to it and as a result, tourists often happened upon them by accident. Kairi always knew how to pinpoint them, dressed in their gaudy outfits and taking pictures of the palm trees like they’d found some rare, exciting cryptid. It was _weird_.

And Kairi figured, as she started her morning routine, that she’d come across plenty of them again. She did every day during the summer months. She’d brushed her teeth and her hair, showered and armored up in a short halter dress and prepared herself to punch the first tourist idiot that wolf-whistled at her. They usually realized she wasn’t an on the market omega by the time her fist met their nose, but if they didn’t get it by then, they would when her scent hit their noses next. It was irritable, knowing she was a bit petite for what one would consider an alpha—hell, her mate looked more like an alpha than she did—but then it was also amusing to see the looks on those foreign faces when she proved their first assumptions wrong.

She wasn’t really out for a fight though. She mostly just wanted to spend the day with her friends. Riku had taken vacation after having been threatened with getting physically booted out if he didn’t use up his vacation hours, fondly of course since it wasn’t as if his coworkers disliked him. Sora worked at the same school Kairi did and was in the same predicament she was, except the lucky bum was left his parents’ house after they moved into the city so he didn’t have as many bills to worry about. Either way, she had all this time to spend with them and she was planning on using it to coax them down to the beach. Maybe they’d even row out to the play island for old time’s sake. It’d certainly get them away from the general populace, to which the play island was prohibited. Too many unsupervised island kids hung out over there for it to be acceptable to allow strangers over.

First thing’s first would be getting Riku to help her drag Sora out of his house. She knew he’d cling to his bed like a koala, claiming exhaustion after his heat. Except she called bullshit on that because she knew for a fact that omegas were just as energetic after heats as they were before…unless they had someone to help them through it. Sora hadn’t dated anyone in about a year after he started teaching and just didn’t have the time for it (and honestly the only reason Kairi was still in a relationship was because it’d started in high school and wasn’t ending any time soon, so she understood how he felt). Thus he was perfectly fine to come outside and enjoy some fresh air. And Kairi wasn’t wrestling with him by herself this time.

She figured she could stand to run some errands before any of that, though. She doubted Sora was even awake this early, and even the thought of Riku being awake was a little skeptical to her. Sure, it meant wasting time at a few different shops until afternoon hit, but she didn’t mind it. She dragged it out by taking everything home after each shop visit. First the groceries and…hmm, maybe a little clothes shopping. She’d buy her spouse something nice. Pay a visit to the farmer’s market up the street for anything she wanted fresh. It left her with a lot of bags and she was sure the smell of fresh fish trailed down the street behind her, making her wrinkle her nose at the thought of it, but it meant she and her spouse could whip up something fun for dinner.

By the time she made it to the convenience store for a few miscellaneous things she knew she’d want to stock up on now before she forgot later, it was just past midday. Long enough that she was sure both of her friends were awake. She started on texting Riku first, tapping away at her phone as she ambled through the aisles and absentmindedly dropped whatever she was looking for into her basket.

**Me**: _Hey u up?_

It only took a few seconds for her to get a reply.

**Ri~ku**⭐: _sdfghjk_

**Me**: _That’s promising_

Kairi snorted at the incoherent answer she got. Whatever Riku had gotten up to, it clearly meant the morning wasn’t being kind to him.

**Ri~ku**⭐: _You try staying up until four in the morning after being coerced into partying with these animals._

His coworkers, most likely. He wasn’t the only one who took a vacation, and he’d gotten enough complaints about being a bit closed off that they probably took it as their personal mission to drag him kicking and screaming out of his shell so he could go have fun. She wished them luck on that. It’d taken her and Sora _years_ to do that.

**Me**: _I already know how that goes. And besides you’ve stayed up longer with me and Sora_

**Ri~ku**⭐: _Yeah, in high school_

Well…true. Still.

**Me**: _Details, details_

**Me**: _R u okay to meet up with me and Sora?_

She was tempted to tell him to get some rest instead, but then he’d accuse her of mothering him and she wasn’t getting into that argument again.

**Ri~ku**⭐: _Yeah. He awake?_

**Me**: _Idk I’ll check and see_

Chewing her lip absentmindedly, Kairi brought her things to the counter and shot Sora a quick text as the store’s part-timer checked her things out.

**Me**: _Me and Riku are coming over so be ready_

“Texting your sweetie?”

Kairi looked up to find said part-timer, a younger girl named Mimi, giggling as she bagged Kairi’s items.

“Nah,” she sighed, rolling her eyes at the teasing. “Just making sure Sora’s up and at’em.”

“Oh he is,” Mimi said. Blinking in surprise at that, Kairi raised an eyebrow at the girl.

“And you know this…how?” Sora might’ve been a social butterfly but Kairi never got the impression he came around the convenience store to hang out with Mimi.

“He was here about half an hour ago. Looked pretty tuckered out too. I tell ya, I’m glad _I_ don’t have to go through heats. They look brutal.” Despite how sympathetic the words were, there was an undertone of envy that Kairi wasn’t quite sure what to make of.

“Huh. What’d he come here for?” Kairi asked, brushing off the rest of Mimi’s quip. Kairi couldn’t say from experience how mundane presenting as a beta must’ve felt, but she wasn’t really interested in hearing Mimi huff and sigh about it anymore.

“A few, um…_things_. I don’t know if it’s okay for me to say, but they sure surprised the heck outta me,” Mimi said, handing Kairi her bag and receipt before leaning over the counter again and reassuming her trademark bored pose. What she said had certainly caught Kairi’s attention though. What would Sora buy that Mimi felt she couldn’t relay to Kairi?

She resolved to ask him later, waving at Mimi as she walked back out into the heat and humidity. She almost wanted to hang around in the air conditioning, but she had made her plans and she wasn’t backing out of them now. Especially when her phone buzzed and she figured she’d gotten an answer from Sora.

Bingo.

**Lazy Bum**💙: _Bring snacks _

**Lazy Bum**💙: _I’m craving_

Chuckling at the typical response, Kairi resolved not to worry about Sora too much for now and dig a few bags of chips and cookies out of her grocery bags when she got home, having bought them for this exact occasion. Her steps were quicker in doing so now that she knew both of her friends were awake, and she was at her house within a few minutes. The fact that she was right down the street from the convenience store notwithstanding, of course.

It was no surprise when she found Riku standing in front of her door, yawning and running his fingers through his newly cut hair. Kairi couldn’t blame him for that one. She pushed her own chin length strands behind her ear and wondered if she should’ve cut it even shorter to the point where it looked like it used to when she first presented. It was certainly hot enough this summer. Hell, even _Sora_ had cut his hair.

It was a no-brainer that they’d spend the day in the water then. It wouldn’t help with the humidity problem but at the very least it’d keep them cool.

“You know…” Riku started as Kairi approached him. “I could’ve spent my morning doing something productive instead of waking up in someone else’s house surrounded by a bunch of passed out drunkards.”

“If you really didn’t want to be there, you would’ve left,” Kairi laughed. She unlocked her door and let Riku in first, following after and setting her bag down on the counter. It was a blessing that her front door led straight into her kitchen, in her opinion. It meant that unlike Riku with his weird-ass entrance hallway or Sora who had to traverse his mess of a living room, Kairi could just grab what she needed and head right back out. And as she gathered a bag of chips and a couple boxes of cookies, different flavors for whichever odd craving Sora found himself afflicted with this time, she was basically in and out of the place in nearly the blink of an eye. Nearly. She had to wait for Riku to rummage through her fridge for a bottle of water to nurse whatever he’d done to himself last night. He downed it in about three gulps before tossing the empty bottle in the trash.

“Sheesh. How sloshed did you get?” Kairi asked, locking the door behind her when they both left the house and started in the direction of Sora’s.

“Me? Not much. But I also didn’t eat much and I was already dead-ass tired from staying up super late the previous night.”

“Video calling Mr. Mysterious again?”

Riku flushed pink a bit and Kairi snickered at the reaction.

“Shut up! None of your business.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Honestly, if you two would find a stable love life, I _would_ mind my business.”

Not that Kairi was truly worried. Her best friends were strong, kind, wonderful people and she knew they’d find the perfect someones for themselves eventually. Still, between Riku’s video calls with the mysterious guy he refused to elaborate on and Sora’s outright disinterest in dating at all now that he was teaching, Kairi wondered exactly when that might happen. At least Riku had a bit of a head start there, but the guy he was talking with didn’t even live on the islands so it was a miniscule head start. It made her worry but, well, they were all adults. She couldn’t play matchmaker like she used to when they were teenagers anymore.

“I’ll worry about that on my own time. And so will Sora. Leave it be, Mrs. Married-With-Kids.”

“I don’t have kids.”

“You two are like a couple of rabid bunnies, so I’m just waiting for it.”

“Oh my gods, Riku!”

His carefree laughter was somewhat worth the teasing, as it told her he was doing pretty good despite the exhaustion. Still… She didn’t think she was _that_ bad.

“Fine! I’ll leave you alone if you leave me alone,” she huffed, shoving at Riku’s shoulder with her free hand when he smirked.

“So I’m guessing those are for Sora,” Riku said, nodding at the bag full of snacks in Kairi’s hand.

“Yeah, he complained that he’s _craving_,” she sighed.

Riku laughed at that.

“Isn’t he always? So what are we doing today? Movie night?”

“Nah, we can hang out at the beach today. He needs to get outside instead of stewing in his house any longer.” Kairi didn’t want to think about how uncomfortable that must’ve been. Especially now that his heat was over; she was sure the scent that lingered in his house must’ve been a bit too much for him. Hell, it was already too much for Kairi and Riku, and neither of them liked being in his house before it was aired out after his heat. It jumbled their minds and sent them down weird thought processes. The sorts of thought processes Kairi didn’t really want to think about when it came to Sora. And judging by his fondness for Mr. Mysterious, Kairi was willing to bet Riku didn’t want to think that way about him either.

“After you load him up on cookies?”

“Don’t act like you won’t load up on them too.”

Riku shoved her back at that, and Kairi burst into laughter when she veered off to the side. She was sure they both looked funny, walking in the street with a bag full of snacks in Kairi’s hands and faint red bags under Riku’s eyes. Then again, everyone on that street knew them. They walked it often enough, and eventually continued along it with Sora in tow nearly every time.

And as his front door came into view, complete with the chipped white columns on either side and the frayed Mickey Mouse welcome mat, Kairi noticed something a little…off. It was almost easy to discount the idea that another scent drifted through the air around Sora’s house because it could’ve just been the mailman or a neighbor coming to check on Sora. But no. Kairi knew the scent of everyone on that block and this one was completely new. And not only that…

“Riku, hold up,” Kairi said. Peering around suspiciously, she titled her head back and sniffed the air.

“You smell that?” she asked. Riku’s face was grim when he nodded.

“Yeah, I noticed it too…” he trailed off. His body tensed up much in the same way Kairi’s did; an involuntary response to a scent both foreign and familiar all at once.

Alpha.

And it was _strong_.

And, most worrying, it was cloying the area of Sora’s front door. Almost seeping out from behind it.

Which meant there was an alpha in his house. _Right off the heels of his heat_.

Either he had a secret girlfriend or boyfriend, which Kairi doubted considering his complete inability to lie, or something far worse had happened. And judging by the worried look that crossed Riku’s face, he was in agreement.

Dropping her bag and running the rest of the distance to the front door, Kairi didn’t even bother to knock before bustling inside. It wasn’t even locked, which, while under any other circumstance was pretty normal, set her on edge now as all of the worse scenarios played out in her head. There were tourists who visited the village all the time. What if one of them was some nasty alpha who’d gotten their hands on Sora? What if they’d waltzed into his house like they owned the place, pushed down her best friend and…

Just the thought of it made her nostrils flare in anger. Her entire body bristled in preparation for a fight: one that she knew she and Riku could win. Sora wasn’t helpless, but two alphas against one protecting their omega best friend was far more effective.

And that was exactly what she was prepared to do when she called out his name.

“Sora!” she shouted. Silence. Behind her, Riku tried again, his voice ringing through the house.

“_Sora!_” he shouted.

Biting her lip nervously, Kairi ran further into the living room and swiveled in her spot in search of him. The foreign scent of alpha clogged her nose, even stronger now and mixed in with the scent of heat and sex. And that _scared_ her.

“Sora, please!” she called out, willing her best friend to answer her. Gods she hoped she wasn’t going to find him upstairs, passed out on his bed, his clothes ripped off, his body violated…

Just the thought of it made her feel sick. It was irrational, she knew. He texted her back and had seemed fine but…

Her senses told her more than his words did.

“Sora!” Riku tried again, rushing past the living room and through the door to the kitchen where the stairs leading to Sora’s room would be. “Are you—”

Riku’s cut off question sent a spike of fear through Kairi, and she dashed into the kitchen behind him, preparing herself for the worst.

“Did you find…him…” Kairi trailed off, her racing pulse finally slowing, her ears almost ringing with the sound of her heartbeat, as the image before her registered.

Sora was…well, he was fine. He was dancing around the kitchen with earbuds in, fixing himself breakfast and cleaning up dishes as his food cooked.

What.

Riku grabbed the dish towel that was resting over one of the kitchen chairs, balled it up and threw it at Sora, hitting him squarely in the back of his head. He was met with a disgruntled ‘hey!’ and a pouty frown as Sora rubbed the back of his head with one hand and yanked the earbuds out with the other.

“You couldn’t have, I don’t know, tapped my shoulder or something?” he complained before picking up the dish cloth from where it had flopped on the floor and dropping it in a bundle on his counter. He seemed more than okay really, when Kairi looked him over. Almost glowing, actually. Even his scent held a certain happy sweetness to it that Kairi easily recognized as satiation and satisfaction.

So… Whoever that scent belonged to…

Sora had _wanted_ them to be there.

Huh.

The question was on the tip of her tongue, curious and surprised considering Sora wasn’t much one to bring random alphas home, before Riku cut in with an admittedly much blunter version of the same inquiry.

“Who’d _you_ fuck?”

Sora, rather expectantly, turned bright red.

“What, uh…” Sora grinned nervously, his cheeks puffed up and a little knot of skin between his eyebrows. He tried, and failed, to look casual when he rested his hand against the counter and cocked his hip to the side. And then slipped on the dish water dotting the counter, wobbling in place for a second before wiping his hand on his shorts and then slipping it in his pocket where his earbuds hung limply from. “What makes you say that?”

Kairi tried very hard not to laugh at him. She also failed.

“Pfft, Sora…” she giggled. Riku was smirking beside her, his arms crossed as his shoulders shook with laughter as well.

“Your entire house reeks of whoever it was, so don’t even,” he said.

“That, and you’re covered in hickeys,” Kairi continued.

“And bitemarks,” Riku finished.

Sora, for his part, flushed an even brighter red and hid his face in his hands.

“I didn’t…” he croaked. “I wasn’t out there looking for someone, you know? It was just starting to drive me kinda nuts stewing in my own scent in here, so I went out while it was raining—and I was careful!”

Both Kairi and Riku had started to protest, but Sora had cut them off quickly with his hands raised in consolation. Considering their fears when they had first entered Sora’s house, it was even more terrifying to know that he could’ve put himself in that situation.

“—I knew walking in the rain would help hide my scent. I just needed to get out for a bit and clear my head, you know? All I did was walk down to the beach. Figured no one would be there in the rain.”

“And this alpha was…” Kairi concluded. What this strange alpha was doing on the beach in the rain, she couldn’t quite fathom. They seemed a bit odd from that perspective alone.

“Yeah, it seemed like he just wanted to get away. Maybe clear his own head. I couldn’t blame him, vacations are stressful,” Sora shrugged, tucking his hands behind his head as he finally started to relax on the subject. Which…helped. If he was feeling good about it, Kairi wasn’t going to immediately have an issue with this alpha. Still…

“You were still in heat though. I’m guessing he still picked up the scent?”

“Barely, but yeah…”

“And then you two came back and rolled around in the hay a few times,” Riku stated plainly, raising an eyebrow at Sora’s face flushing pink once more.

“We, uh…yeah.”

“And then he just…left?”

Kairi frowned at Riku, knowing what he was insinuating and not liking the direction this was going. She didn’t want to burst Sora’s bubble with the idea that this alpha was the hit it and quit it type. Not when he’d just been dancing around his kitchen after the encounter, clearly pleased with how it had gone.

“Yeah, he got a call from his friends asking where he was.” Sora played with the bright red mark on his neck, the most conspicuous part of this entire situation, with a fond look in his eye. “Didn’t seem like he wanted to leave, though… Well, he definitely didn’t at first.”

Oh. _Ohhh_.

Kairi wrinkled her nose playfully at him.

“TMI,” she snorted. Riku laughed next to her.

“I’ll give the guy that. I’d respect him less if he left after one round.”

“It was way more than one round,” Sora so graciously added.

“T. M. I!” Kairi pouted, stomping her foot despite the humor she was sure was on her face. Sora at least finally loosened up and laughed more freely. His cheeks were still pink but he’d stopped fiddling with his claim mark and leaned back against the counter with his hands in his pockets again.

“I won’t go into details then. But seriously, you guys don’t have to worry. He didn’t hurt me or anything and he—I _want_ him to come back. _He_ wants to come back…”

“He’d better come back after leaving you with that,” Riku said, pointing a finger at the mark. Sora chuckled at that.

“Of course.” There seemed to be more he wanted to say on the subject but he kept silent. It wasn’t really Kairi’s business, nor was it Riku’s. But she kind of wanted him to keep talking about the alpha. He was an intriguing anomaly in their lives and Kairi wanted to know what made him so different that Sora would let him in that easily.

Riku was silent for a moment, clearly curious as well. He leaned against the table and watched Sora with critical eyes, likely searching for a crack in Sora’s happy exterior. There didn’t seem to be one from what Kairi could tell. He wasn’t hiding his marks, there wasn’t a hidden expression in his eyes beneath his smile, he didn’t look to be in pain… She’d take it for what it was. Sora wasn’t a child and she wasn’t going to coddle him like one. He’d just find that insulting anyway.

Riku sighed then, likely coming to the same conclusion.

“You’ll have to talk that out with him then. Your eggs are burning, by the way,” he pointed out. Sora twisted around to peek at his stove with an owlish expression.

“Oh shit!” He scrambled to turn off the appliance and shovel his eggs onto a plate. They were seared a little brown but not burnt too badly.

Still, they brought attention to the fact that he was eating breakfast in the first place…at two in the afternoon.

“Did you guys want me to make you anything?” Sora asked as he finished up on his bacon as well, the pancakes having been finished and kept warm on a griddle, before filling his plate up and tossing it on his little round kitchen table. Both Kairi and Riku sat down at it with him, not planning on going anywhere any time soon. They’d come over in the first place to spend time with Sora and well…

They were curious to see if the mysterious alpha would come back. They could go to the beach any time they wanted, but they didn’t want to miss meeting Mr. Mysterious No.2.

“Nah,” Riku declined, and Kairi nodded her head along. “Unlike _someone_, we ate at a decent hour.”

Sora laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck.

“And anyway, I brought you your snacks so I think we’re good,” Kairi said, shaking her head at Sora. He sent her a tiny, grateful smile in return.

“Here,” Riku said, standing up from his chair. “I’ll go get them since _someone else_ dropped them.”

It was Kairi’s turn to laugh sheepishly. She leaned against the table, quiet for a moment as Sora ate, just watching him and taking him in. He was _covered_ in marks from the mysterious alpha. His bottom lip was red and slightly swollen, adorned with shallow teeth marks. His throat was littered with red spots, each varying in shade. They continued over his collar bone and disappeared into his shirt where Kairi was sure that if he removed it she’d find more. The mating bite was deep and purposeful; red and shiny and clearly a message that Mr. Mysterious No.2 staked his claim. Over Sora’s shoulders were littered various hickies and bitemarks that would, unlike the claim mark, eventually fade. And it didn’t escape her that Sora, someone who was notorious for flopping carelessly into his seat, had sat down gingerly in his chair.

“He did a number on you, didn’t he?” she prodded, wondering if Sora might spill a little more information on him. She was curious what sort of person caught his eye enough that he would mate with them. That wasn’t a decision made lightly.

“Hmm. I guess he did…” Sora trailed off.

“Where’d he run off to anyway?” Riku asked as he came back in with Kairi’s bag in tow. “Do you even know what hotel he’s staying at?”

Sora shrugged and both Riku and Kairi let out a sigh.

“You didn’t think to ask?”

“We were kinda preoccupied,” Sora pouted. Kairi grabbed one of the cookie boxes and shoved it towards him, smiling to herself when he automatically popped it open and dug out a chocolate chip one, not even bothering to finish his breakfast first.

“Besides, I’ll just find out when he comes back,” Sora continued around a mouthful of cookie. Kairi wrinkled her nose at his poor table manners and nudged his foot with her toes.

“If he ever comes back,” Riku snorted rather cynically. He earned himself a toe nudge as well.

“Oh, he’ll be back.” Sora had said it so plainly and confidently, as if it was simply common sense that this alpha would return, that Kairi was inclined to believe him.

Still, she had to question _why_ he was so certain of that.

“What makes you so sure?” After all, mating marks were a promise, not a guarantee.

Yet when Sora grinned wide as he answered her question, suddenly it became all too clear.

Oh.

Yeah. Whoever this alpha was? He’d be back.

-o-o-o-o-

Roxas was found on the rocks a little farther past the pier around midday, kicking his feet as he sat hunched over. Though it was no longer raining, it was still overcast enough to leave the atmosphere around him suitably dreary and grey. His expression had smoothed over into a blank stare, a far cry from the distraught grimace that it had been for the past hour. Footsteps crunched towards him in the sand, and he didn’t even have to look up to know who they belonged to. Not when the scent they carried with them was as familiar as a family member.

He didn’t turn towards Hayner when he sat down next to him. He simply waited for the grilling to begin.

“The hell’s wrong with you?”

Straight to the chase. As usual.

Which, in all honesty, worked best for Roxas. If someone else was beating around the bush trying to get an answer out of him, he’d faff about just as much in order to avoid it.

“I may or may not have fucked up,” Roxas sighed, running his hand through his hair again. He was sure it looked a complete mess after both he and Sora had been running fingers through it, and even after his shower it had simply dried into the bird’s nest it’d settled into.

“Why’s that? ‘Cause you shacked up with an omega? That’s not exactly the end of the world,” Hayner shrugged. Of course he noticed. Sora’s scent was too strong not to notice. It clung to Roxas, even after he’d washed up, like a constant cinnamon sugar sweet reminder that he’d just been held in those tan arms, buried in that slick heat, not much more than an hour prior.

“More like because I bit that omega, and he was also in heat, and neither of us were using protection.”

“…Well fuck.”

Exactly. Regardless of Roxas’ previous bed adventures, he’d never made any of those mistakes before now. Heats were off limits, protection was a necessity, and biting was a no-no.

Somehow he’d accomplished all three in one night with one guy. And then again the morning after.

“And that’s not all…”

Here was the kicker. The reason he had these rules in place.

“I may have knocked him up.”

Hayner was quiet for a moment, and Roxas refused to turn and see what expression was on his face. He didn’t think he wanted to know.

“I mean, that’s pretty expected if you fucked him in heat without a rubber…”

“And bit him.”

“_And_ bit him.”

Both of them were quiet then, letting the words hang in the air for a moment before they began to sink in.

“…What’re you gonna do?”

“That’s the thing,” Roxas huffed, feeling all of his bones sag under the weight of everything. “I don’t know. I’ve never even thought about being in this situation before.”

“Well do you know he’s preggo for sure?” Hayner prodded. And, well… No. Roxas didn’t know for sure. But was there really any other possibility? The guy was young and certainly _looked_ pretty healthy, and it wasn’t as if Roxas was shooting blanks. Not to mention, the possibility was amplified by Sora’s mating cycle and the fact that Roxas had knotted him. On top of that, the bite probably drove his hormones nuts. If they had been _trying_ for a kid, they did everything right.

“If he’s not, it’d be a literal miracle, Hayner.”

“Miracles _can_ happen,” Hayner shrugged. Roxas shook his head.

“Not with my luck.”

Hayner hummed at that, letting Roxas’ words sink in as they both sat quietly for a moment. Nothing but the sounds of waves accompanied Roxas’ thoughts, just as they had before Hayner came along, and Roxas was sure it was starting to drive him up a wall. He didn’t really need to be left with his thoughts any longer anyway. He’d figured out about twenty minutes into his self-afflicted isolation that there was really nothing he could do about this. He wasn’t the sort of heartless bastard to try and tell Sora to get rid of it, and he wasn’t really up for that option himself anyway. But taking care of it meant either moving to the islands or taking Sora back with him to Twilight Town…either one of which seemed to be what he was likely to end up doing anyway seeing as he’d claimed him.

Sighing, Roxas dropped his face into his palm and closed his eyes.

This shit was a little too much for him.

“You know Xion’s still waiting for you to get back,” Hayner started again.

“I know.”

“She’s worried.”

“I know.”

“We _all_ are.”

Roxas’ eyes peered open to look at Hayner, catching the concerned set of his brow. He sighed and his entire form slumped. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately, he’d noticed.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Start from the beginning? How’d you, uh…” Hayner gestured vaguely at Roxas. “Get into this in the first place?”

“So you remember how I wanted to take a walk out in the rain yesterday?”

“I don’t think I can ever forget how fuckin’ weird you are, but go on.”

Unamused, Roxas swiped at Hayner and managed to catch the back of his head even when he dodged.

“The fuck, man—”

“_As I was saying!_ I met him when I went to sit down at the rock outcropping.” Roxas’ eyes trailed over to that very outcropping on the other side of the beach, just off where the entrance to Sora’s village was.

“I get it,” Hayner nodded sagely.

“Do you…?” Roxas was skeptical. Understandably so.

“Yeah, he’s just as weird as you! You don’t have to worry, Roxas, it’s a match made in heaven!”

“Do you want to hear the story or not, asshole?”

Hayner smiled innocently and ran his forefinger and thumb over his lips as if he was zipping his mouth shut.

“Anyway, he’d gone out into the rain because he was trying to hide his scent.”

“Why’d he go out at all if he was in heat?” Hayner interrupted, scratching his head.

“He said the scent in his house was driving him nuts. I could see what he meant when I got there. It was kinda overwhelming.” Like all of the air had been sucked out of the place and replaced with nothing but Sora.

Hayner furrowed his brow in confusion.

“Wait, wait, wait. That was a pretty big jump from ‘I met the guy by the rocks’ to ‘I ended up in his house’.”

Roxas could only shrug at that.

“What do you expect me to say? We talked for a bit, I caught his scent, he led me back to his house.”

“And that didn’t raise any red flags?” Hayner asked.

Roxas supposed it would have on a normal day. He wouldn’t have followed just any omega home, heat or not. If anything, he’d have covered his nose and walked the other way. But something in Sora’s eyes was just too genuine for him to ignore. He doubted that night would’ve ended any other way, honestly.

“No. He didn’t…”

Hayner stared at Roxas for a long while before finally nodding, as if something occurred to him.

“Okay, go on.”

“Uhh…nothing particularly odd happened after. I mean, I’m sure I don’t have to explain to you what we did once I got to his place.”

“Uh, yeah, please don’t. I can already smell enough of it.”

Hayner grimaced like he’d caught a whiff of something gross and Roxas rolled his eyes at him and shoved at his arm. The only smell Hayner would catch on Roxas was Sora’s natural scent. He’d already washed off any traces of their late night and early morning sex marathon. Still, the implication of Roxas being covered in Sora’s scent was obvious.

“It was weird though,” Roxas continued, not bothering to answer Hayner’s gripe. “I felt this…pull to him? Like, I don’t know… I felt at home with him.”

“Hey, some people just click like that. It’s not a bad thing to connect to someone new, Roxas.”

Roxas frowned at Hayner’s tone, knowing he was being called out. It wasn’t that he was being shy or antisocial or anything. He just didn’t know what to make of it.

“I know it’s not a bad thing. It’s just…weird. I’ve never even felt that way in my past relationships.”

“Then date the guy,” Hayner said, so blasé in his tone that Roxas almost missed what he said. Almost.

“What. Hayner…”

“What?”

“We live an ocean away from him.”

“So?” Hayner shrugged. “Long distance relationships exist.”

“Yeah, when you’re online dating and clicked with someone after reading their profile. Not _after fucking biting them and possibly knocking them up!_”

“Then take him with us. Or, I don’t know, fuckin’ stay here with him. Give us a reason to come back more often.”

“Hayner…”

“What, dude. It’s not high school. You’re not obligated to stay in Twilight Town when you could be living it up with this hot omega—is he hot?”

“Very.”

“Right, this hot omega that you probably made some cute kids with on this tropical fucking paradise. Hell I wish I’d gone with you instead of the others. Think he’s got a cute friend?”

Roxas sighed, wishing Hayner would take this more seriously.

“I don’t know. I don’t know anything about him. How do you expect me to just up and leave my life to stay with a complete stranger?”

“Dude, you’ve been in his insides. I don’t think that counts as a complete stranger anymore.”

“Hayner, oh my fucking god.”

“Why are you so worked up about this?” Hayner turned to face Roxas fully with a determined look on his face, and suddenly Roxas got the impression that Hayner was being more serious than he first believed. He didn’t know how to feel about that. “Rox, look. You’re barely tethered to TT as it is. You weren’t born there, you’ve already moved out of your dad’s place, you’re rooming with Lea and Xion and I’m sure they’re ready to move on with their lives and in with their omegas… The only thing you’d miss is us, and I don’t know about you, man, but I’d be happy to come back here and visit. So what’s the problem? You think you can’t have a life with this guy? Roxas… I know you. You wouldn’t have bitten him if you thought that. Hell, you wouldn’t have even _touched_ him.”

It was…

Wow. It was a little frightening how much of a point Hayner had.

Roxas’ entire life was in Twilight Town. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t born there because his fathers had left Radiant Garden before he was old enough to walk. He grew up there, only knew there, held all his memories there. All the good and the bad. Meeting Hayner in kindergarten, and Pence and Olette in third grade. Growing up aspiring to be like his dad and his pops. Beaming with elation when he presented as an alpha, remembering the proud look in his pops’ eyes. The resigned look in his dad’s when he realized he’d have to deal with _two_ alphas in the house. Standing up to Seifer and his gang even if it earned him a good number of years of bullying because he knew his friends always had his back. Meeting Lea and Xion in high school and learning that you didn’t have to look or act a certain way to be an alpha. Not when Lea was so boisterous and Xion was a tiny firecracker, even shorter than him. Joining art club and meeting Naminé and setting her up with Xion. Being encouraged to sell his creations online until he’d created a career for himself out of it. Going through the ups and downs of his relationships: his first date, his first kiss, his first time, etcetera.

The feeling of nostalgia that washed over him was difficult to give up in favor of leaving his home for a completely new and unknown life. But that was the only thing holding him back. He could take his work with him. He had no one waiting for him at home. His dad was fine without him. His friends could always come visit him.

And he had to admit it’d have been a dick move to up and leave Sora with a baby he’d helped make.

Plus, he genuinely _liked_ Sora. He wanted to know more about him. He wanted to find reasons to like him more.

He just couldn’t quite rationalize leaving home in favor of moving across an entire ocean.

“I need some time to think about this.”

“Take all the time you need. Maybe you should talk to everyone else about it too, though? I can’t imagine they’d be too jazzed about you up and disappearing. Again.”

“I know. You’re right.”

“And hey,” Hayner placed a hand on Roxas’ shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly. “In the end it’s up to you. You know I’m behind you one hundred percent, no matter what you choose.”

Roxas did know that. And it helped a lot to hear. He felt a smile form on his lips despite his dismal mood.

“Yeah. Thanks, Hayner.”

He earned a smile in returned, much brighter and carefree than Roxas’ own.

“Now.” Hayner patted Roxas on the back then before sliding off of the rock they’d been perched on. “Come back to the hotel so Xion can flay you properly.”

Ugh. Great. She _would_ too. Especially now that he didn’t go back to the hotel immediately.

“Can’t we just stay here and enjoy the sunset?” Roxas laughed nervously.

“It’s the middle of the day, Rox, there is no sunset. C’mon. I don’t want to get strung up by the angry midget too.”

“I thought I was the angry midget,” Roxas snorted. He took his time stepping down to the sand, wiping off the back of his—Sora’s shorts before slipping his hands into the pockets, trying to look more put together than he felt.

“Only when Xion isn’t. C’mon sad, horny midget, let’s get going.”

This time Hayner successfully dodged Roxas’ swipe, laughing as he ran the length of the beach. Roxas trailed behind him at a slower pace, preparing himself for the inevitable.

He was willing to put the chewing out of a lifetime off for a few more minutes, at least.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but I guess that's for the best because the next one is going to be stupidly long.

For as down to earth as Hayner had been about the whole thing, the response Roxas got from everyone else was very…mixed, to say the least.

“Hayner, you can’t expect him to just up and leave his life behind,” Olette had argued.

“But I mean, he does have a point. Roxas doesn’t have to stay in Twilight Town if he has a good reason to move here,” had been Pence’s reply.

“That’s a stressful move! And we don’t even know this Sora person! We’re supposed to just let Roxas up and leave? What if Sora doesn’t even want him to stay?” Xion had exclaimed.

“Well, it’s not like I’m jumping at the chance for Roxas to leave, but it’s not up to us. And I think that’s between him and Sora,” Lea had added.

“I think the choice should be up to Roxas,” Naminé pitched in. “It is a stressful move, but we should support him, right?”

“Normally I’d agree, but this has gotta be the worst circumstance for this to happen under!” Xion was pulling at her own hair by that point.

“I think you guys should leave him alone. I don’t want him to go either, but how would you feel if you knocked someone up and then left them up shit’s creek with a kid? How do you think Sora feels?” Hayner had said.

“Again, that’s between him and Roxas. But I don’t think it’s fair to just expect Roxas to leave his life behind on the chance that this omega will accept him.,” was Lea’s defense.

“It’s a pretty fuckin’ high chance, Lea. They’re _bonded_,” Hayner supplied.

“Omegas can _reject bonds_, Hayner!” Xion nearly shouted.

“I don’t think he did. Rejecting a bond is immediate. Roxas would’ve known,” Naminé had informed.

“Well does Roxas want to stay? Has anyone asked him that?” Olette questioned.

Everyone was arguing. Yelling and screeching and fighting, and it was giving Roxas a fierce headache. He ground the heels of his palms into his temples and willed all the noise to stop. He was already stressed over the situation, but everyone squabbling over what he should do with his future was starting to freak him out. His heart was racing now, his breaths shallow and his eyes squeezed shut.

Voices filtered in and out of his ears like the sound of nails scraping against chalkboard. ‘He should do this’ and ‘he should say that’ and ‘he should go here’ and ‘he should stay there’. As if he was a child incapable of making his own decisions. Sure, he was indecisive about it. But Lea had the best point: this was something he needed to discuss with Sora, and he hadn’t even worked up the nerve to confront Sora again yet. He didn’t know what he was going to do, and everyone screaming at each other wasn’t helping him decide.

It was no surprise when something in him finally snapped.

“**Shut up!**” he roared. Dead silence followed.

Finally Roxas pried his eyes open to find six pairs on him, wide and caught off guard. He felt a little bad about the outburst but, at last, it meant he could finally speak.

“Listen you guys,” he ground out through gritted teeth. “I’m not a _fucking baby_. This is _my_ decision. And I _can’t think_ with you guys arguing over me.” It was his mistake after all. His responsibility to own up to it. His duty to talk to Sora about it. His choice to make.

He wasn’t even really thinking about moving yet. It hadn’t really sunk in since Hayner had brought it up. He was sure it was a spur of the moment solution, but there were too many factors to consider for him to just up and leave. He wasn’t the only one involved in this and who was to say Sora wanted Roxas in his house? Where would Roxas go then if he moved? He couldn’t exactly work if he turned out as a beach bum with no internet access. He doubted he could afford to move to the city further inland and he sincerely doubted he’d be welcome in one of the villages without having a place to go first. Those were incredibly tight knit communities. He certainly wasn’t going to try to force Sora to leave his life behind and go with Roxas to Twilight Town. And he couldn’t ignore what had happened and just stay home either.

But _Sora_. He had to talk to Sora. He felt like an idiot for leaving when he did. Sure, he needed to check in with his friends to make sure they were okay, but the moment he realized he possibly knocked Sora up, he should’ve turned right back around and sorted that out with him. He wasn’t going to accomplish anything sitting on a hotel bed while his friends bickered over him.

He loved them dearly, and they each had a good point as to why Roxas should stay or go back home, but currently they were driving him up a fucking wall. He really hadn’t expected their vacation to turn out this way, and it was stressful enough without the arguing.

“I just… I need time to think things through,” Roxas sighed, calmer now as he spoke. “Just give me that.”

“’Course,” Hayner said. He beckoned to the others. “C’mon guys, let’s give him some space.”

He, Pence and Olette left the room, Naminé patting Roxas’ head reassuringly before doing the same. Xion and Lea lingered behind, watching Roxas worriedly.

“What?” he huffed, rubbing at his temple again as the headache refused to subside.

“Been a while since you blew up like that is all,” Lea said, sitting on one side of Roxas. Xion sat on his other side and he finally relaxed some when they placed their arms over his shoulders. Like they were keeping him grounded right before he went off like a rocket.

“Been a while since you’ve gotten yourself into a mess this big too,” Xion joked.

“I don’t think I’ve ever gotten myself into _this_ big a mess,” Roxas snorted cynically.

“Look, it happens,” Lea tried to soothe him, rubbing his free hand through the back of red spikes and looking very uncertain of himself as he spoke. “You just gotta…I don’t know, not worry about it?”

“Lea.” Roxas didn’t even need to explain further how that literally would not work.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Babies are stressful and you just made one with your summer fling, but you get where I’m going right? Stressing yourself out more by wallowing in your feelings ain’t gonna help.”

Roxas flinched at the words ‘summer fling’, mentally berating himself for what he knew Lea was right about. No matter the odd feelings: the strong pull that Roxas inexplicably felt towards Sora, the craving he felt for him… At its utmost surface, this was nothing more than a summer fling. Roxas didn’t know how to feel about that. He didn’t want it to be a summer fling. He didn’t even really like thinking of Sora that way. It felt _wrong_, like there was a finality to it that couldn’t possibly exist, because Roxas just _had_ to go back to Sora. There _had_ to be more there. Right?

He didn’t understand it at all and that too was driving him up a wall.

“I know you’re right, Lea…” Roxas started, clearing his throat when his voice wobbled. “And I do get it. Moping about it isn’t going to fix anything. But this is just…too much. I don’t understand why I’m so _fixated_ on him. I don’t know how I let this happen with him, but everything just felt _right_ and I…! I just…I don’t know…”

Burying his face in his hands, Roxas hoped against all odds that his friends wouldn’t notice his shoulders quivering or his breath hitching. He wished he could convince himself to tough it out and stop the oncoming waterworks but he couldn’t help it. Everything in his life just got that much more complicated, and for what.

A ‘summer fling’.

Now he had to contemplate leaving his home and raising a kid he’d made with someone he barely knew and it was _so much_. Hayner’s pep talk had helped a little, but it only really put into perspective that Roxas had more than one option here. Which, considering his current state of mind, wasn’t what he’d consider a good thing. He wished someone could just magically point a finger and tell him what he needed to do.

He couldn’t ask that of Lea and Xion. But it did help settle his warring emotions when they wrapped their arms around him and held him tight.

“You’re gonna be okay, buddy,” Lea mumbled against the top of his head. Xion nodded into his shoulder.

“We’re here for you all the way. It _is_ gonna be okay.”

It took a good, long moment of just letting his mind blank as his friends hugged him but eventually, finally he stopped crying.

“…Thanks, you guys,” he whispered, sniffling a few times and scrubbing at his face.

Both of them squeezed him comfortingly, one arm around his middle and the other around his waist.

“Of course,” Xion said. “It’d probably be best for you to take a break for a while. Think what you want to do through before you go talk to Sora.”

Right. Roxas wasn’t the only one in this situation. He couldn’t imagine how Sora must be taking this.

“And hey, Hayner’s got a point. If you do stay here, we’ve all got a reason to come to the islands more,” Lea laughed. Xion’s exasperated sigh followed.

“Not helping.”

“No it’s okay,” Roxas cut in. “He’s right. And so is Hayner. I don’t have to immediately count out the possibility of moving here. I just wish it was on my terms and not…” The idea that he was being forced to move to take care of his own kid. He wasn’t going to be the sort of crapsack alpha that tried to command Sora into going with him after all.

Besides, Hayner was right about one thing. Roxas could go _anywhere_ with his lifestyle.

“That’s up to you, Rox. You know I’ll miss you, but there’s nothing really holding you back from leaving TT. Plus, of all the places you could go, I’d say this is a pretty top tier choice,” Xion said.

“Island paradise. I’m almost jealous,” Lea joked.

“Yeah you’re jealous now, but I’m just waiting for you to fall asleep on the beach and wake up deep fried,” Xion quipped. Roxas found a smile pulling at his lips at their typical antics.

“Hah! You tease, but I know for a fact that you burn like a marshmallow over a flame,” Lea shot back. Xion feigned offense, placing her hand over her heart and grimacing deeply. Roxas rolled his eyes fondly at them both.

“Well _excuse me_! Not all of us tan like Roxas!”

Why they’d want to tan like Roxas, he wasn’t entirely sure. It wasn’t that he couldn’t tan, it was that when he did, he ended up with all those freckles he’d desperately wanted to grow out of when he was younger.

“You guys are ridiculous,” he snorted before they could continue their faux bickering.

_Ridiculous_. But he loved them to bits.

“…Thanks,” he sighed. He wiped at his face one more time, determined not to feel embarrassed when he knew neither of them would judge him. It helped that they mentioned nothing of his breakdown. They only squeezed him again, smiling.

“S’what we’re here for,” Lea shrugged.

“As long as it cheers you up, we mean,” Xion tacked on, and Roxas had to laugh at that. Yeah, their ridiculousness did cheer him up when it wasn’t…whatever was happening ten minutes prior. _That_ was just irritating.

“So…” Lea started, looking contemplative. Roxas watched a number of emotions pass through his eyes as he debated on how to continue. “What are you gonna do now?”

“Good question. I’ll get back to you when the answer magically comes to me.”

He earned an eyeroll for that one.

“You know what I mean. Are you gonna go talk to Sora?”

Sora. The centerpiece of the whole picture. Nothing could really happen until Roxas got the ball rolling and went to _talk_ to Sora, but well…

He didn’t trust himself.

Being around Sora was like sticking his head in the clouds. Euphoric in the metaphorical sense, as if he was floating on an indescribable high. Suffocating in a realistic sense, as if there wasn’t enough air to breath and his lungs wanted to freeze. He was both terrified and exhilarated at the prospect of seeing Sora again. His pragmatic side told him it was fine to be scared; anyone would be scared to talk to someone they accidentally knocked up. Another side of him, one he didn’t understand for the life of him, whispered in his ear like a devil on his shoulder. _Be proud_, it said. _You took him, you marked him, you claimed him, you planted your seed in him_, it’d prod with its poisonous voice. _You were a good alpha_. There was more to that one than base instinct. As if the thought of doing this with anyone else was out of the question. It could _only_ be Sora.

That was the most frightening part about it.

He supposed that was why it would be best to talk to Sora about it. Even if Roxas didn’t understand, there was a chance Sora did. He had that same need in his tone and in his grip when they were together. That same longing when they said goodbye. Maybe he knew what it all meant.

He still couldn’t quite kick up the courage to go through with it though. Beneath everything: the vacation and the summer fling and the actions and consequences and the concept of what it was to be an alpha or an omega or whatever-the-fuck, Roxas was just scared. He was twenty-three, he had no clue what the hell he was doing. How was he supposed to just suddenly shift his life around? How was he supposed to raise an _entirely new person_, fresh out the oven, specifically made by him and Sora?

Sighing again, he realized he was back to square one. Floundering around while all of his choices floated tauntingly in front of him, just out of reach because he couldn’t find the will to lift a finger.

“Roxas…” Xion’s voice cut through his thoughts, and he glanced to the side at her to find her jovial grin gone.

“Do you need us to give you some time alone?”

No. What he needed was some support. What he needed was some guidance. What he needed was to get up and go sort this out with the most important person in the equation.

Against his better judgement, he nodded anyway.

-o-o-o-o-

Two days.

Well, a day and a half, really.

It’d been a while since Roxas had found himself in this position, moping on the bed because he wasn’t sure what to do with himself. The last time had to have been three years ago. Granted, he had a good reason at the time, but still.

This wasn’t in any way comparable to that. This was just him being stubborn. He’d gotten past the dreary attitude once it had finally started to sink in that he was going to accomplish absolutely nothing with it. His problem wasn’t going to go away. So instead, he was throwing a minor fit about it…mostly at himself. It was immature, and he knew this, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. He _wanted_ to be miffed. It was at least better than the self-pity boat he’d sunk into the water, having plopped his ass square in the middle of it with a tenacious cross of his arms.

Of course, this accomplished a sum total of zero as well, but whatever. He was still being chickenshit about talking to Sora.

It wasn’t even that he was still toiling over the logistics of having to take care of a kid. No one was ever really ready for that, Roxas had rationalized. He was far from the only one who had ever been in this situation. It wasn’t that he was still trying to figure out his living situation either. He’d swept that particular issue under the rug for the time being, not being entirely opposed to the idea of moving to Destiny Islands but not entirely open to it either. He couldn’t completely brush it off the table though because, baby or not, he was still bound to Sora. Eventually, either he would have to move to the Islands anyway or Sora would have to move to Twilight Town. He wasn’t even going to bother suggesting the latter. That was at the top of the ‘Ways to be a Dick’ list.

Rolling over onto his side, face rested in his arms, Roxas contemplated just biting the bullet, jumping up from his bed and running over to Sora’s place before his mind could catch up. He doubted he really needed to be making any more spur of the moment decisions but that at least would be better than where he was now.

Resolve filled his thoughts as he sat up, quick enough that he was nearly on his feet before he’d even registered that he was upright, just as his phone started ringing.

He felt a grimace form on his face as his ringtone filtered through the room and a voice floated through his mind, griping about the possibility of coming to Cher, and Roxas figured he ought to change his ringtone as he picked his phone up.

What displayed on his caller id had his eyebrows shooting up the length of his forehead. Of all the people to call him now…

A bit off put, he brought his phone to his ear and sat back down, croaking out a quizzical ‘hello’.

“What crawled up your ass and died?” came his dad’s voice from the speaker. Soft and low and blunt as always. There was no pause before he’d answered either, as if he’d expected Roxas downer disposition.

Someone told him to call Roxas, most likely. Probably Xion, he’d bet.

“I’m guessing if you’re calling me then you’ve already heard,” Roxas sighed.

“I wanna hear it from your mouth. So. Same question.”

Hmm. There wasn’t really a delicate way to tell one’s father that one had claimed and knocked someone up within the first day of their summer vacation.

“Uh…okay, so… Imagine if you were on the beach—”

“I can already feel this conversation going downhill.”

“You asked. So yeah, imagine if you were on the beach and it was raining.”

“Roxas.” An exasperated sigh filtered from the speakers and Roxas’ shoulders hiked up at the judgement he could practically feel enveloping him. “First of all, why were you on the beach in the rain.”

“I didn’t want to drink with the others and I didn’t want to wait for them in the hotel room.”

The waiting in the hotel room was more Roxas’ personal brand of discomfort with sitting around while other people were out doing something, but he knew his dad would understand the aversion to alcohol. The smell was a big reason, but it wasn’t the _only_ reason.

“…I see. Go on.”

And it was a sore subject for Roxas’ dad as well, so he supposed it made sense that they were moving past it as quickly as possible. Roxas didn’t bother to comment then. It wasn’t about _that_, it was about…

This entire mess.

“And, uh… I met—well, his name is Sora—but I met Sora by the rocks.”

He…wasn’t sure how much to elaborate beyond that. No one wanted to tell their parent about their heat-fueled sex marathon with a complete stranger.

“And what, you sat around playing jacks? I know where this is going, Rox. So what are you gonna do next?”

Thankfully, his dad was straight to the point enough that he didn’t have to suffer the awkwardness of trying to dance around said sex marathon.

“That’s a good question,” Roxas answered with a nervous chuckle. Humorless and airy, like all of the breath had been squeezed from his lungs. “Got any suggestions for me.”

“Go talk to this Sora kid?”

Easier said than done. All of the wind had been taken out of Roxas’ sails once his phone started ringing. It was a distraction; more than that, a chance to procrastinate. He could put off meeting with Sora for one more thing, right? At least, that’s what his nerves were telling him.

“What am I supposed to say, Dad? ‘Sorry I put a bun in your oven, catch ya later’? There’s no easy fix for this.”

“There’s no easy fix for anything. Your pissy attitude doesn’t help much though.”

Great. A lecture?

Just what the doctor ordered.

“You’ve gotta be kidding—it’s not _about_ attitude. I’m barely on my feet with my own work and you think I can take care of a kid? With someone who lives an entire ocean away?!”

Bond or not, there were too many factors here for Roxas to just nod and accept it. He couldn’t just _accept_ that he’d have to toss his whole life around for this. He could barely wrap his mind around the whole situation.

“Alright. I want you to look at it this way.” His dad was still speaking in that annoyingly calm voice and Roxas grit his teeth as he tried to calm down. He knew getting up-in-arms would get him nowhere, regardless of how much effort it took not to do so anyway.

“How many people has this happened with?”

Um?

“Huh?”

“How. Many people. Has this happened with?”

Roxas ignored the clipped tone of that question as he tried to wrap his mind around it. His dad knew full well he’d never been in this situation before.

“No one—”

“Right, because you’ve been careful in every relationship you had. So what makes the kiddo different?”

Well.

That pull. That was what made him different. That longing that Roxas couldn’t understand or explain. That _need_: to be near him, to touch him, to breathe him in, to be inside him. The joy that flared at the back of his mind every time he thought of that claim mark, the same joy he staunchly tried to quell as he rationalized through all of the consequences it brought about. But he couldn’t deny it was there. Beneath everything, he still wanted to go back to Sora. It was like a game of tug-o-war in his mind. Of course he needed to speak with Sora but he was scared. Of course he should work through this with Sora like a responsible adult but what did that matter when his whole world was Sora.

What sense did that even make.

None, of course.

“I don’t know, Dad. I don’t get it.”

“You don’t get it?” his dad repeated blandly, as if he wasn’t sure what Roxas wasn’t getting. As if he already understood.

“I don’t get why Sora’s so different. He just has this…effect on me, and I can’t explain it.”

His dad was silent for a moment, and Roxas fidgeted quietly in his spot on the bed.

“What happened when you met him?” he finally asked.

“Uh…we talked for a bit. He was trying to hide his scent in the rain, but I caught a bit of his heat and well…”

No further words were needed _there_.

“Was it different from how you usually talk to people?”

His lips parted to say ‘no’, but…

Thinking back, Roxas tried to recall every facet of his first conversation with Sora. How easily he held conversation with him. How different his reactions to him were. How concerned he’d been with Sora’s opinion of him. How he’d immediately guessed that he was an omega and immediately felt an attraction to him. How his mind had melted away the moment Sora’s scent met his nose. How he followed him home with barely a second thought. How _naturally_ it all happened.

Meeting Sora was very, _very_ different.

“…Yeah.”

“Makes sense.”

Roxas snorted at that, not sure what conclusion his dad had come to and even more unsure of if he wanted to know.

“Right. Of course it does.”

“I’m serious. It makes perfect sense. We all have someone like that. Someone who’s sort of…different.”

Or, well… Maybe he did want to know. At this point he was certain his dad had picked up on something he hadn’t and he knew he wouldn’t be able to quash the curiosity. Not in _this_ situation.

“So…what are you saying?”

Roxas’ dad’s chuckle drifted into his ear and Roxas felt a little like he was being made fun of in that moment.

“You ever stop to think that maybe he’s your soulmate?”

“…Are you kidding?”

“No.”

Sighing, Roxas dropped his face into his hand and tried to find the least disrespectful way to tell his dad that he might have been talking bullshit.

“There’s no such thing as soulmates, Dad.” Not _real_ ones, anyway. That was a total myth.

“Sure there are,” his dad snorted. “Your pops was mine.”

Hm. It wasn’t a secret how fond of each other Roxas’ parents had been, but he’d never thought to attribute that to them being _soulmates_ of all things. It was just too convenient. Too perfect. The idea that there was someone out there that fit with Roxas like a glove. The idea that _anyone_ could have that someone out there. Life never worked out that nicely; if it did, Roxas’ pops would still be alive and kicking and he himself wouldn’t have found his soulmate on an island that wasn’t even in his same timezone.

“Dad…” he sighed. He wasn’t sure what to believe at this point.

“Take it for what it is instead of overthinking it. It doesn’t always have to fit your worldview, Roxas.”

Except Roxas’ worldview was very rational, a product of having rational parents, and soulmates didn’t fit into the realm of rationality. They made about as much sense as the idea of proposing eternity to someone with a star-shaped banana did.

So it was…interesting, to say the least, that his dad would even bring the concept up. He was far from the sort to believe in fairy tales—if anything, he always seemed the type to laugh at the notion of soulmates. And sure, his pops had been more jovial and open to things, but even he had still operated in the realm of reality. For Roxas to hear his dad suggest that Sora was his soulmate… That his pops had been his dad’s soulmate…

That…changed some things.

He wanted to ask how his dad could possibly have suggested such a thing. How he possibly could have believed in it. Why he’d never mentioned it before. Instead, only one question came to mind.

“…How did you know?”

“How did I know your pops was my soulmate?” Roxas’ dad hummed in thought as the sounds of him adjusting his seat and the sounds of Jesse meowing in the background filter through the speaker. “Well… When I first met him, I was making my delivery rounds in Radiant Garden. My shop was still new so I didn’t have any hires; had to bike it through the city practically all day and night. So, of course, this happened to be a weirdly busy day and I had a fuck ton of work ahead of me. I’d parked my bike, grabbed a package for the first day’s delivery…and this complete idiot nearly mowed me down by the time I reached the sidewalk. Wasn’t paying attention to where he was going, knocked all my shit over, barely got out a sorry before trying to run off. And then he stopped. And he turned to me, and our eyes met…”

“This just got really sappy, Dad,” Roxas couldn’t help but tease. He was smiling though. He always did when his dad talked about his pops with that nostalgic tone in his voice these days. And he could hear the smile in his dad’s voice as well.

Even when he was reprimanded for the quip.

“Shut up, you asked. Anyway, it was like there was this immediate connection between us. Like I’d known him all my life. And yeah, the circumstances weren’t the best for us either. I’d been hopping towns trying to make good business and he was a military man jumping bases so we really weren’t in the best position to see each other. But it worked. It always works out in the end. But Roxas…”

“Yeah?”

A long, tired sigh met his ears.

“It’s like any other relationship. You have to work _for_ it too. That instant connection won’t mean anything if you just ignore it or run from it. We had our moments, there were fights, and sometimes it seemed like it just wasn’t gonna happen. But we tried. And lo and behold, we ended up married for twenty-two years.”

Right. And it would’ve been twenty-five by now if it hadn’t been cut short due to some drunken asshole in a car. More proof that “fate” could be a bitch. Still, regardless of how it turned out, his dad had a point. It worked for so long because they made it work. Roxas at least owed Sora that effort.

Especially if he possibly added a third party to the mix. Or made a third party, more like.

“I should go talk to Sora now, shouldn’t I?” Roxas sighed, feeling his shoulders droop in apprehension. This was an encounter he was more than a little scared to confront.

“Well, obviously. Especially if you knocked the kid up.”

“Thanks Dad.”

“That one’s on you. Just…keep in mind, you don’t have to be afraid. You both are made for each other; I’m sure at the very least he’ll understand your feelings even if your words are stiff and brash and sometimes insulting.”

“Gee, wonder where I got that from.”

Despite the annoyance, Roxas found his smile widening, pulling tightly at the corners of his mouth at the sound of his dad’s laughter.

“Call me after you talk to him. Let me know how it goes.”

“I know. I will.”

“Good. Love you, Rox.”

His smile was smaller now. Softer. It’d been a while since he’d really spoken with his dad like this. Sure he called him from time to time since he’d moved out, but talks like this? This hadn’t happened in years. He’d missed this.

“Love you too, Dad.”

Roxas’ thumb tapped the end button and he sat with his phone in his hand for a long moment, chewing on his bottom lip thoughtfully. It’d do him no good to overthink how this was supposed to go, and quite frankly he still had no clue what to expect from Sora anyway, but then wasn’t that what he was going there to fix? The chance to get to know Sora, figure things out…

Make this work.

Standing from the hotel bed and throwing his sandals on, Roxas headed for the beach and in the direction of Sora’s village.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one chapter is longer than my longest oneshot and I'm still trying to process that...

Here he was again. Walking down the street as the world passed him by. Whatever that storm had been, it’d come and gone and left nothing but a few fluffy clouds and blue skies. And sun, lots of sun. Way too much damned sun.

Which made the entire slog down to and across the beach a sweaty, huffy, sluggish experience.

And yeah, okay, maybe Roxas was also dragging his feet because he had no clue what to expect. He never had to face the possibility that someone like Sora could ever exist. Someone he was drawn to so desperately.

Someone who was, essentially, his other half.

It was just…odd to Roxas. The idea of finding his soulmate was so…

Unexpected.

Granted, none of this had been expected but it certainly put things into perspective. The strong reaction he’d had to Sora’s heat, the strange pull he felt towards him, the inexplicable feelings of elation and excitement when he thought about him.

Moments like this were supposed to be fairy tales. The sorts of things parents told their kids to get them to wait until they were much older before they started dating. Fictional. And yet suddenly, somehow, they were real—always had been, apparently—and Roxas really didn’t know how to feel about that.

Sure, his instincts were singing. As an alpha, he’d just found the _perfect omega_. And the clear interest he’d smelled in Sora’s scent told him that the feeling was mutual. Of course his natural bodily response to this would be so positive.

His head was all sorts of jumbled up though.

He’d never once cared about finding a ‘soulmate’. Hell, at twenty-three he wasn’t even worried about finding a life partner. He was trying to get his life together, find his own place somewhere and stop living with Lea and Xion, especially when both of them _had_ their life partners and were clearly interested in moving on.

He wasn’t completely off put by the prospect of finding Sora. The guy was cute as a button and Roxas would’ve jumped at the chance of dating him under normal circumstances. But at the same time, the whole situation was _not normal_. He didn’t feel in control of any aspect of it, and that freaked him out. Roxas had _never_ been one to lose it and not wear protection; hell, the only time he was ever in a state of mind where he’d forget was in rut and that wasn’t happening for a few more _months_. He refused to even be _near_ an omega in rut. Because, of course, _this_ would happen.

It was…headache inducing at the absolute least.

Still, he was going to make the effort to at least talk this out with Sora. He didn’t know if Sora knew that they were soulmates, but at the very least he certainly knew they were bond mates and possibly guessed that he might have a bun in the oven. That needed to be settled before anything else really.

Even then, he found himself lingering at the open wooden gate that constituted the village entrance. There was activity now: people out and about with their afternoon routines, children playing in their yards or running across the street to meet up with their friends, people walking or biking to and fro, carrying groceries or strolling hand in hand with their kids, a few cars here and there, driving up the street to whichever destination they chose. He wished he could remember exactly how he’d traversed those streets to get to Sora’s place, but everything beyond the strong scent of his heat was a haze and Roxas didn’t take note of his address when he’d left. It was easy to find the beach from that house. Finding the house again…not so much.

Granted, it was a village, not a town or a city, so Roxas was sure someone there knew where Sora lived. Even if he was getting odd looks from the residents now as he continued to stand at the gate.

Right. Pull it together, Roxas. You just gotta find him.

Taking a deep breath, Roxas steeled himself and set foot in the village proper for the second time. In too long a time. At least, it certainly felt so. His nerves still prodded at the back of his mind, but something about being there, taking a step forward instead of wallowing… It lifted one hell of a weight off his shoulders.

Unfortunately, he was still a little too awkward around people to know who to ask. It didn’t help that everyone peeked at him occasionally. They were curious glances more so than judgmental ones, as if they were used to tourists showing up in their village—which, granted, they probably were. The resort was right there. Regardless, it made him more than a little anxious, and he was more apt to wander and just hope he got the address right.

“You look lost… Need some help?”

Or maybe the heavens would just drop a nice, outgoing person his way for him. He peeked up at the sun and thanked it silently, apologizing for cursing it for the sunburn he knew he was probably sporting now.

He still felt kinda miserable when he finally turned towards the owner of the nice voice. She probably noticed he was currently boiling in his own skin, judging by the sympathetic crease between her eyebrows. Besides that, she seemed unassuming enough. Definitely an islander with her tan skin and cherry red hair. She watched him with bright blue eyes that reminded him immediately of Sora and he found himself grimacing at the skip in his heartbeat that just the thought of him caused. Just the thought of how close he was to finding his mate again.

“Are…you okay?” the redhaired girl asked again. She stood across from him on the other side of the street, not quite shouting but still loud enough to jolt him back into reality. The sympathy had morphed into concern now as she hung in her spot, not sure whether to go to Roxas or consider him a loony and move on with her day. Hopefully the former. Hopefully she _could_ help him.

“I’m uh…looking for Sora’s place?” he half-asked, half-told her. He wanted to smack himself for never learning Sora’s last name. What if there were multiple Soras? What if she just straight up didn’t know _any_ Soras?

Though that last worry dissipated at the look of recognition that crossed her face. She blinked in confusion at him for a second, her brow knitting as she walked up to him.

“Um…I can tell you how to get there, but how do you know…”

She’d trailed off just as she reached him and a range of emotions displayed across her face that Roxas didn’t have the energy to bother keeping up with. The most prominent one was subdued, her eyes narrowing slightly and her mouth thinning into a line. The knit in her brow was gone, smoothed over as her eyebrows settled into something that looked vaguely like disapproval. She looked like something had clicked and gave the impression that she didn’t like the way it did. And at this close proximity her scent was easily discernable as that of another alpha, so it set Roxas on edge a bit. He didn’t let that intimidate him though. If she wouldn’t tell him how to get to Sora’s house, he’d figure it out on his own.

“He’s…down three more blocks and over one on the left. House 902,” she told him. Thankfully.

“Thanks,” Roxas said cautiously. She didn’t come across as outright hostile, but something about her demeanor was suddenly not as welcoming. Even as she gave out her directions, it felt as if she was still withholding information. Roxas would take it for what it was, though. He wasn’t into getting into random fights with the villagers and it wasn’t as if she looked to be searching for a fight, so he wasn’t going to linger.

Nodding a second thanks at her, he continued down the street with his eyes on the left side, staunchly refusing to look back even when he could still feel her gaze on him. Sora. This was about Sora. He needed to go see Sora.

Beyond that, the rest of the village could think what they wanted about him.

His eyes scanned the houses on the left as he crossed each block, taking in each one and comparing them to the memory of a red door behind peeling white pillars, neat grass, a colorful garden and an old, frayed Mickey Mouse welcome mat. Watching each home pass by and continue to not live up to that one house. Maybe there’d be one with a red door, or one with a tiny garden, but none of them felt like home.

None of them filled Roxas with that comfortable, relaxed feeling that bubbled up in him when he finally set his eyes on that familiar yard.

Despite this, he could hear concrete scraping against the soles of his sandals as he dragged his feet across the sidewalk. The creak of wood as he walked up the porch steps. The gritty give of age-hardened rug when he came to a stop on the welcome mat. He stared down at it for a second, taking in the smiling character holding out his hand in welcome and wondered if he was being taunted. Everything was so…perfectly in place. Like he’d spent the last two days wasting his time.

Hell, he _did_ spend the last two days wasting his time.

A determined grimace pulled at the corners of his mouth as he knocked on the front door. He didn’t think about it. Didn’t hesitate. Didn’t stop to consider. There was no reason for pause. It was time he did this.

Even if he wanted to run as the sound of movement in the house started up, drawing steadily closer to the door. It creaked open slowly, revealing an image Roxas had burned into his memory. That same smooth tan skin, wrapped in a tank top and shorts. That same messy brown hair that almost covered his eyes in an endearing, boyish sort of way; no longer matted down by rain. Those same bright blues, staring back into Roxas’ with all the confidence in the world.

And he _smiled_ and it was _perfect_. No other expression fit his face better.

“Took you long enough,” he said. Roxas felt all of the air inside him rush out, leaving him a deflated, sagging, human-shaped mess. At least, that’s what he figured he must’ve looked like; it was certainly how he _felt_.

“Yeah, I guess it did.”

“You wanna come in—”

“Wait.” Roxas had to stop him there. He wasn’t naïve enough to believe he’d walk in that house and their day would end any differently than it had the first time he’d been there. Considering that was what had gotten them into this situation in the first place, it wasn’t the best time to continue where they left off. Besides…

“We need to talk about this.”

Sora raised an eyebrow at him, leaning against the door jamb with his arms crossed. Not disapproving per say, just confused. It wasn’t the most open posture either and Roxas wasn’t sure what to make of that, but he pushed through regardless. This needed to be said.

“Talk about what?” Sora asked.

“This whole thing. This…you know, you and me. And the weird feelings and your last day of heat and…”

And maybe he needed to start off with an apology for that.

“And I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…I mean, I don’t even _do that_ with omegas in heat but I…you were…”

Irresistible. Incredibly so. So much so to the point that Roxas couldn’t think straight around him.

“It’s not…gonna make up for what happened. But I’m not gonna just leave it at that either. This is my responsibility as much as it is yours, and we both had a part in it, which means we both need to take care of it. I promise you, I’m not gonna just run back to Twilight Town and—”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait,” Sora interrupted, uncrossing his arms to wave his hands at Roxas, stopping him in his tracks. He looked entirely puzzled now. “What are you getting at?”

“Uh…Sora? Aren’t you…?” Roxas reached out and poked at Sora’s abdomen, just above his pelvis. His implication was pretty clear. “You know…?”

“Aren’t I…what?”

At least, Roxas had _thought_ his implication was clear.

Sighing, he rubbed at his temple again and dreaded having to spell this out. His voice came out in a hoarse whisper when he spoke next.

“You know…pregnant?”

It took a bit of effort for him to look at Sora’s face again, having dropped his gaze to where he’d poked him, but once he did he was met with the somewhat comical sight of Sora blinking rapidly as his face flushed pink. He seemed to not know what emotion to settle on for a second, but eventually he sputtered in _humor_ of all things.

“What? I’m not pregnant,” he laughed, relaxed and carefree. And Roxas was _floored_.

Did they not have unprotected sex? Multiple times??? Was Sora suddenly not able to carry?

Or, wait.

Was he ever able? Roxas was fully willing to apologize for his insensitive thoughts if that was the case.

“Are you…? Are you not able to…?”

It took a moment for Sora to pick up on the what he meant as he stood there for a good minute with a confused frown on his face before it finally hit him.

“Oh. _Ohhh!_ No, I can get knocked up. I’m just…_not_ right now.”

“Wh—_how do you know then?!_”

“I took a morning after pill.”

“…What.”

Sora raised a perplexed eyebrow.

“Dude, I’m twenty-two. I’m not ready for kids yet.”

H—

That was—

Oh.

“I’m a fucking idiot. Why did I not think of that,” Roxas mumbled to himself, rubbing at his temple in exasperation. All that toiling away and the issue was solved that quickly. What the fuck.

Sora, for his part, offered him a sympathetic smile and a warm pat on the shoulder.

“I mean, I get why you were worried, but you’re not the only one who’d have to take care of a surprise baby. I can’t even _afford_ that right now.”

“But…” Didn’t those pills not have a 100% guarantee? “What if it doesn’t work?”

Sora only shrugged.

“We cross that bridge when we come to it. It wasn’t too long after that I took it though. I’m not sweating it.”

How could someone be this relaxed about anything in their life?

Roxas needed lessons from Sora.

Actually he just needed Sora. To just…_stay_. With Roxas, specifically.

Which brought him to the other reason why he was here.

How was he supposed to do this? He didn’t even know if _Sora_ believed in soulmates. But he had to have felt it too, right?

“There’s…something else I wanted to talk to you about too,” he started. He wasn’t sure how to continue though.

“Something…else?” Sora asked. There was a bit of apprehension in his eyes, as if he thought that whatever Roxas was about to say was going to be bad, and Roxas wished that could spur him into action. Make the words piece themselves together effortlessly. But he was just as lost when it came to this.

“We…I…” he tried. He really did. He just…_didn’t know how to do this_.

“Is there…some_one_ else?”

Oh no.

No, no, no, no, no, _no_! _Hell no_.

“Are you kidding? I can’t even _think_ about anyone else! And anyway, _why the fuck would I be here_ if there was someone else?! I can’t get you out of my head!”

There were probably better ways that Roxas couldn’t confessed that. Ways that didn’t involve standing on his soulmate’s doorstep, sweaty and out-of-breath and gesticulating at Sora like a madman. He didn’t even _do_ that when he talked; he was certain all he pulled off was showing Sora that he was a nutcase.

Thankfully, that didn’t seem to deter Sora. There was at least that.

“You too, huh…” was all he had for Roxas in response. It was small and timid and somehow it meant _everything_. It meant Sora really did feel it too. Maybe Roxas wasn’t going crazy and his dad was telling the truth and…

They were soulmates.

Granted, it’d have been nice to find this out a better way. The old-fashioned way. The storybook ‘love at first sight’ cliché. The slow burn dating phase that eventually led into something more; something where they were sure they’d want to spend the rest of their lives together. Not something where they fucked for two days and then didn’t talk to each other again for two more days until Roxas’ _father_ had to knock some sense into him.

It was all wrong and yet…

Roxas could believe it. He couldn’t have ended up in this situation with anyone who wasn’t his soulmate and still have them welcome him into their house. He wouldn’t be at their doorstep trying to make it work in the most unideal situation ever conceived. He wouldn’t have touched Sora at all. He would’ve turned back the moment he caught Sora’s scent, jerked one off in the shower to take care of the effect it would’ve had on him and then forgotten about the encounter by the next day. And even if he, in some bout of utter stupidity, had managed to knock up a complete stranger, he’d have handled it with a better head than this. He’d be upset, sure. But Sora affected him in ways he couldn’t understand. Every thought about him was ten times more intense than they had any right to be.

Hell, Sora wasn’t even knocked up as far as they knew, and Roxas was _still_ here. He _wanted_ to be here. He wanted to stay here. Sure it was proper etiquette to do so since he had bond bitten him, but he still _wanted_ to.

Was that what it meant to be soulmates with someone? It seemed a bit…odd, when he thought about it. The idea that you could be so drawn to one person, regardless of how well you knew each other or how long or if you even liked each other at first. The idea that somehow you knew you would; somewhere deep down.

The idea that, when their eyes met, everything clicked into place.

“Did you know—”

“That you’re my soulmate?” Sora interrupted, voice calm and accepting as his smile slowly started to fall back into place. “Yeah. From the beginning.”

“…How?”

“Roxas, think about it. I’m in heat and I see some random alpha out in the rain… You think I’m gonna just go up to anyone like that and expect not to get assaulted or something? I was gonna _avoid_ you, but… Then I felt this _pull_. And something in me told me to go to you, and you looked at me and I _wanted you_. I wanted you to look at me like that all the time. I wanted you to want me like that.”

His smile quirked to the side sheepishly and he ran his fingers through his hair, mussing it a bit. Roxas resisted the urge to smooth the more wayward strands back into place.

“I knew that wasn’t a normal reaction, even in heat, so I took a chance and I went to you. And I was right. And I’m glad I was because that was the best night of my life.”

Warmth filled Roxas’ face at that and he let his gaze slide off to the side, hoping the pleased giddiness he felt bubbling up inside him wasn’t translating into his expression. Judging by the amused chuckle Sora let out, it had anyway.

“I was hoping you felt the same,” Sora continued. “It was getting a little, er, well… Lonely. Without you here, I mean. I know I said come back whenever, but I was kinda hoping it’d be sooner rather than later. I hated not being near you for so long.”

The humor drained out of his tone as he spoke and Roxas couldn’t help it this time. Once again, without thought, without hesitation, he stepped closer and wrapped his arms around Sora, burying his face against a warm neck and breathing in the scent where it was strongest. Just over his scent gland where Roxas’ bitemark stood prominently. He hadn’t hidden it, hadn’t bandaged it… He really wanted this as much as Roxas did.

That was enough to make this worth it. The worries disappeared, the rationalities faded into the background, the hang ups packed up and left. There was nothing but Sora and Roxas standing in that doorway, hugging each other tightly and reveling in the reestablished bond.

Roxas didn’t resist this time when he was pulled inside. Sora parted from him so that he could walk properly but Roxas wasn’t far behind him, pausing only to shut the door before he was on Sora’s heels.

It was…certainly different being invited into this house without the heavy, heady atmosphere of heat and sex drowning the oxygen out. But not a bad different. All of the details Roxas missed were clearer to him now, a show of personality on Sora’s part that was both subtle and obvious.

The place was as homely as ever. Decorated with furniture that looked old enough to be hand-me-downs and knick-knacks littered throughout the place. Paraphernalia from all of Sora’s interests: from the Disney bobbles to the weird, oceanic beach findings. A wooden floor covered in woven, mismatched rugs. Curtains that clashed with wallpaper that Roxas had taken note of a few days prior but had never stopped to really take in, not having even considered until now that it was likely installed long before Sora lived here. A door leading to the kitchen and the upstairs; a trail Roxas vaguely remembered treading when he’d followed Sora to his bedroom and had come back down again. He wondered if later he might explore the rest of the house in detail. But for now Roxas was content to drift behind Sora to the couch, sinking into the cushions when he sat next to him.

“So…” he started a bit awkwardly, not sure where to go from here. “Soulmates, huh.”

“Mhm.” Even Sora seemed to be at a loss for words.

“I didn’t, um… I used to not think they existed.”

“Heh. They’ve always been a part of our island’s history. You find your soulmate and you seal your fate by sharing the paopu fruit with them.”

Right. The star-shaped bananas.

“It’s basically an old-timey way of proposing to someone nowadays. But I’ve seen enough soulmates share them to know that it’s real,” Sora continued.

“Did…you want to…?” Roxas wasn’t sure why he felt compelled to ask seeing as they didn’t really need it, but he wanted to at least do _some_ part of this right.

“Nah, it’s okay. I mean, unless you want to? Personally, I’ve tried paopu and I think it tastes like ass, but we could anyway just for the experience…”

Roxas snorted at that.

“I think I’ll pass.”

“Works for me,” Sora shrugged, grinning. “Besides, I think we’ve already sealed the deal well enough.”

He ran his fingers over the red crescents on his neck; scars that would never scab over, never disappear, never heal, never fade. They wouldn’t hurt though. They were meant to soothe. They were a whisper in Sora’s ear, sweetening him up with promises that he’d always have someone to come back to, someone to hold him and be held by him in return, someone to care for him, protect him…someone to make a family with. They were a reward every time Roxas looked at them, filling him with a swirl of good emotions at the constant reminder that he would be that someone for Sora. They were the equivalent of a wedding band to everyone else. Proof that Sora chose to be with someone, and that that someone had chosen to be with Sora. A promise of forever.

That was more than enough.

It was a bit nerve wracking as well. It essentially meant Roxas got married but without the wedding, but well… They’d figure that out later. They were soulmates after all. It was like his dad said: after you’re drawn in, you make it work. And it _would_ work. Eventually.

Roxas reached out and slipped his fingers under Sora’s, rubbing the bitemark and watching Sora shiver at the feeling. He wanted to make it work, but…

_How?_

“How are we gonna do this?” he asked quietly. Sora’s eyes had slipped closed, his head tilted to the side to give Roxas more access to his mark as he continued to stroke his fingers over it.

“Do what?” he asked, his voice slightly breathless now. Roxas tried not to let that distract him. He wanted to touch Sora, yes, but anything further could wait until they sorted _this_ out.

“All of this. Everything.”

Roxas could unequivocally say that he wanted this. Despite sitting in an unfamiliar house with someone who, despite their previous naked tangos, was otherwise a complete stranger to Roxas, he felt _at home_. He felt like he belonged here, half buried in old, soft couch cushions in a wooden house just off the beach. He felt like he belonged _anywhere_ Sora was. Because Sora felt like home. There was such a strong pull to him, one that Roxas knew he couldn’t resist for long. He would’ve taken that flight back home, gone to his room and never unpacked. Still stuck in Destiny Islands where the other half of his heart lie. Still yearning to come back.

Even now, sitting in Sora’s presence, Roxas was drawn to him. As if he should’ve been sitting so close that their bodies were pressed flush together. Close enough that Sora was wrapped up in his arms again. That was how he knew he’d be complete.

It was frightening and exhilarating all at once.

“I don’t know how to begin,” he finally said. Roxas was clueless when it came to the desperate way he needed Sora. He was, once again, lacking control of the situation.

“It is scary, I’ll admit,” Sora said. “I don’t even know you and for some reason I need you to be here. I don’t know how I’ll handle it when you leave.”

Despite his words, he had practically oozed against the couch at the feeling of Roxas’ hand on him, fingers still rubbing lightly over his mark. Roxas felt a soft smile start to form on his lips.

“You don’t seem all that worried…” he joked.

That earned another shrug.

“I mean, we’re supposed to be each other’s halves, right? We wouldn’t be soulmates if we weren’t going to eventually figure it out. Sure, it’s scary now but that’s why we take our time to let it settle.”

“And not end up with a kid in the mix,” Roxas sighed, and he couldn’t quite deny the bubble of joy that formed in his chest when Sora laughed and looked at Roxas again.

“Yeah, maybe at least go on a date with me first before the kids happen?” Sora chuckled.

Roxas quirked a grin at that, finally pulling his fingers away so Sora could sit up properly.

“Sounds good to me.” Sora’s responding grin was as bright and warm as the sun.

God, that was cheesy. Roxas wouldn’t say it out loud.

“Let’s see… Hmm. I haven’t been on a date in a while, so I don’t know where we’d go…” Sora mumbled, crossing his arms and tilting his head to the side as he thought. Which was unlawfully cute.

God damn, Roxas was in this _deep_.

“How’s—” Roxas cleared his throat when his voice cracked a bit, and he knew he’d turned bright red, this time without the help of the sunburn. Thankfully, Sora didn’t comment. “How’s ice cream sound?”

It was a boring suggestion for a first date, but it was also safe. Out in public, over food that didn’t require too much commitment to eat and was sugary enough to keep their spirits high… The perfect opportunity to get to know one another.

“I’ll never turn down ice cream. But don’t give me any domineering alpha crap. _I’m_ taking _you_ out.”

Heh.

If only Sora knew assertive omegas were a turn on for Roxas…

Mind out of the gutter, though.

“I’m in your hands,” Roxas replied instead, smirking at Sora’s tone. It was a nice change of pace, as far as he was concerned. The biggest downside to being an alpha was the amount of obedience, readily or begrudgingly, the status alone earned him from omegas. Which was, frankly, bullshit. They were _people_. Alphas were people. Roxas didn’t want to be treated any differently just because his biology was different.

It was suddenly that much more pleasing to know Sora was his soulmate. He’d gotten no such behavior out of him. They’d been equals from the moment they met, and both of them knew it.

So, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. Besides, Sora had a point. Being soulmates meant they’d figure it all out eventually.

Over ice cream for now, it looked like.

“Good.” Sora clapped those hands Roxas had willingly and trustingly placed himself into together excitedly. “I know the perfect spot too!”

-o-o-o-o-

The perfect spot, much to Roxas’ surprise, brought them back to the resort. Well, him. He got the feeling Sora didn’t cross over very often, and when he did he made a beeline for his destination instead of lingering to enjoy the festivities.

“Not interested in the party?” Roxas joked, gesturing to the shops they walked past and the people that lingered, talking and taking pictures and dressed in loud, colorful clothing, playing loud, colorful music.

Sora snorted loudly at Roxas’ question.

“Are you kidding me? This whole resort is Extortion Avenue. I only go to this ice cream shop because the ice cream itself is _heavenly_. It’s a once in a while treat though. Place is expensive as shit.”

Roxas found himself chuckling at that.

“You should come to Twilight Town one of these days. Best ice cream in the world without having to clean out your pockets.” Was he being maybe just a little bit biased?

Yes.

“Is that an invitation?” Sora asked, grinning and nudging Roxas’ arm with his elbow.

He smiled and laughed about it, but Roxas had the feeling he was serious. Which, admittedly, shouldn’t have come as a surprise to him now that they were officially dating. _Officially_. Wow. It held a certain weight to it just to think about. This wasn’t just a “summer tryst” anymore. He was really going out on his first date with…well, with his life mate, but he’d call it ‘boyfriend’ for now since he was still trying to process the fact that he was bonded to Sora in such a way. Either way, everything between them held more weight now. Even the lighthearted stuff like Sora joking about being invited to Twilight Town in a way in which it was clear he wasn’t really joking. He could try to pass it off as one if Roxas said no, but he could just imagine the disappointment he’d see in those baby blues if he’d even thought about declining.

Besides, he didn’t really want to. He’d be happy to take Sora to Twilight Town. Maybe get him to meet his dad and his cat. Take him out on another date; possibly to his favorite ice cream spot. Invite him up to the clocktower where he used to spend so much time just laughing and having fun with his friends. Maybe take him to the bistro for dinner or invite him home and cook for him. Snuggle up with him and watch dusk fall from Sunset Hill.

Of course he’d say yes.

“Yeah,” he told Sora, his voice quiet and tone serious. “It is.”

The grin slid from Sora’s face in surprise as his eyes widened and his eyebrows nearly shot up his forehead.

“Wait…really?”

“Yeah, you thought I’d say no?”

Sora looked a bit embarrassed at that, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk and grabbing his own arm sheepishly. Roxas stopped a few steps ahead of him, watching him curiously as he slid his hands into his pockets. Not sure what else to do with them since they were already clenched nervously. Just because he said yes didn’t mean Sora did. He shouldn’t have presumed…

“Well, I… I wasn’t sure…um…”

“What?”

Running his hands through his hair, Sora kept his eyes trained on the ground as he spoke.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d…still want to do this. With me. You know, when you got home?”

Roxas’ brow furrowed in confusion at that.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“I mean, I… I know we’re soulmates, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have your own life—”

“Sora,” Roxas cut off. “I told you I wanted this, didn’t I? I want to be here with you. And I want you to be with me.”

He let a tiny grin pull at his lips as he tapped Sora’s bitemark.

“And I promise, it isn’t _this_ talking.”

It maybe sent a little fluttery feeling through Roxas when Sora grabbed his hand and threaded their fingers together as a relieved smile pushed past that worried frown.

“That’s… Yeah. I—yeah, I’d like to go with you to Twilight Town one of these days then.”

Roxas squeezed his hand, hoping it came across as reassuring.

“Good.”

There was that fluttery feeling again when Sora squeezed back. When he smiled at Roxas hopefully and stepped closer to him. He’d put a short-sleeved hoodie over his tank top, but made sure to leave his mark visible, as if he was proud of it, and that meant more to Roxas than dates and ice cream ever could.

But it was also disgustingly hot on the islands and ice cream still sounded pretty good.

“C’mon. You promised extortion ice cream, so we’ve still gotta do that,” he said, tugging on Sora’s hand to get him moving. He didn’t know where they were going after all, so Sora would still need to lead the way.

“Aw man…” Sora groaned, dragging his sandaled feet against the sidewalk. “You brought up Twilight Town’s ice cream and now I’m not gonna be able to stop thinking about it.”

“Later,” Roxas laughed. “I _am_ still on vacation after all. No need in yearning for TT just yet.”

“That’s right, you are on vacation. Aren’t you supposed to be spending time with your friends?” Sora asked. Which would’ve been a valid question if Roxas was the type of asshole to forget all about them when _they_ invited _him_, but he’d taken care of that while Sora had been getting ready to go out. All it took was a simple text to his friends to tell them where he was and who he was with. Besides the teasing, they were all fine with it.

“They’ll survive. I’ve put up with those nerds for years, they can deal when I want to spend some time with my boyfriend.”

Ah. He hadn’t even thought about it when he said it, but it hit him how significant it was when Sora’s face flushed bright red.

“B-boyfriend—”

“Uh! I mean!” Great. Now Roxas’ face was heating up too. He was sure they both looked like a couple of idiots, blushing on the sidewalk. “I guess ‘mate’ would be better? But—”

“No, I like—I mean, yeah ‘mate’ fits more, but…I’m cool with ‘boyfriend’!”

“That’s—! I mean…as long as you want to? If you feel like we’re rushing—”

“No, no, I want to! I don’t—I mean, it’s a little late to say we’re rushing things…”

Roxas’ face burned hotter at the insinuation there and he resisted the urge to smack himself in the forehead. If becoming boyfriends on the first date was rushing, they’d already supersonic’d their way past the stratosphere the day they met. And the day after.

Instead he kept his eyes trained on the ground as he nodded, hoping the concrete might swallow him up before he blustered his way through another awkward conversation.

Date. _Fun_. Get it right, Roxas!

“Um…so, uh…”

“Ice cream,” Sora finished, letting out a tiny, flustered laugh as he pointed vaguely down the sidewalk and squeezed Roxas’ hand with an iron grip to pull him along.

God, it felt like being on his first date again. Flustered and fidgety and awkward and…kinda dumb. Not the date just…how he felt. Like he was at a constant ten seconds from embarrassing himself for no reason other than he really liked the guy, and holy shit was he cute, and they were going out for ice cream and! Roxas may have been a little too excited about this, but he couldn’t help it. It’d been a while since he’d been on a date at all, let alone a first date. And one with someone who, despite all the blunders—physically enjoyable as they may have been—leading up to it, he genuinely liked.

He kind of hated that he liked it. It meant it’d be that much harder to leave, when all this was over. How did one do a long-distance relationship with their bond mate? With their soulmate? He’d want to touch Sora every five seconds. He’d want to see his face when he came home after going out. He’d want to banter with him over dinner or help him fix breakfast. He’d want to snuggle up with him on the couch or on the bed and binge a few movies. Go out with him like this on the weekends for anything really. It didn’t matter if it was grocery shopping or an expensive outing to someplace fancy. How was Roxas going to have that with Sora if they were an ocean apart?

It put things into an odd perspective for him. He wanted to smack himself for being wishy-washy and not just taking Hayner’s advice. But at the same time he wanted to smack himself for thinking it was okay to just up and leave home. He wasn’t exactly stacked with money, certainly not with his work. Hell he was more than grateful to be staying with Lea and Xion when they were so understanding that sometimes his work didn’t pay him enough. Sometimes he hit dry spells where he’d have to part-time it somewhere just to make up the difference. He’d _wanted_ to do it—hell, he’d let Naminé convince him to go to college for it even. But it didn’t make suddenly up and leaving Twilight Town for Destiny Islands any easier of a decision. Especially when he had no reason to believe he’d have anywhere to go.

Feeling Sora’s hand squeezed around his, he wanted to believe he’d come back to that again. But this was the _first date_. And yet they were already in this _for life_. But he wanted to take it as slowly and seriously as he did his other relationships and…

Ugh. This was all just too much.

_Date_. _Ice cream_. Calm the fuck down and just have _fun_, Roxas. Worry about the complicated stuff later.

He could do that. He was sure his palm was sweating, and he might’ve been squeezing Sora’s hand back just a little too hard, but Sora didn’t seem to pay any of that any mind. He still painted the picture of innocence (at least, in regards to Roxas’ muddy line of thoughts) with pink cheeks and an adorably determined expression. Still just excited for this so-called ‘heavenly’ ice cream.

Goddamn, he was just really…_really_ cute.

Especially when the ice cream shop came into view, just off the side of the block a couple streets down from the hotel Roxas and his friends were staying at. He’d let out a little “yay” and there was a sudden hop in his step that was ridiculously endearing. Roxas was certain he was grinning dopily at the back of Sora’s head, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. He was just…

_Really fucking cute_.

“There it is!” he’d exclaimed. “Good ole Sweetstack!”

He was pointing excitedly at it, swinging Roxas’ arm like a little kid in a candy shop, and Roxas couldn’t quite stop staring at him with thoughts of how adorable he was.

In his defense, they were nicer thoughts than the downward spiral of worrying he’d nearly sent himself into. Again.

“You aren’t looking at it!” Sora complained, and Roxas smiled sheepishly at him before finally turning his gaze to the obnoxiously bright pink and lavender shop front nestled into the brick. It was like someone had vomited the paintjob onto it, but Roxas supposed it was what they sold that counted rather than their puzzling aesthetic.

“Alright,” Roxas nodded, opting to ignore the paint explosion in favor of his much nicer looking boyfriend. Damn. That still gave him the warm and fuzzies just thinking it. “Blow my mind. I wanna try out this heavenly ice cream of yours.”

“Prepare for that mind blowing, Roxas.” Grinning even wider, Sora all but yanked Roxas into the ice cream shop. Not that he minded _too_ much. Inside, it was nice and cool, and smelled of sugar. And all that nasty humidity was blown away by the blessing of air conditioning. Roxas hadn’t even noticed how much he was still sweating until it started to cool on his skin. He’d probably be freezing within minutes, but it’d be worth it if this ice cream was as good as Sora said. Already the interior of Sweetstack was a lot more appealing to look at compared to whatever was going on with the outside of it. Clean and off-white with a blue stripe horizontally spanning the length of each wall. Even all the workers were dressed in those little parlor uniforms that Roxas knew from experience were uncomfortable as hell and always (at least for him) unfathomably one size too small. No matter how many times he’d asked for a replacement.

Kudos to them for putting up with it in Destiny Islands’ weather. He was sure they too were grateful for the air conditioning.

“Nice place, right?” Sora asked. He’d already waltzed up to the counter to scan over each flavor.

“Yeah, but it makes sense considering where it is.” Extortion Avenue, like Sora said. No way they’d get away with not looking nice. On the inside, at least.

“Point taken. I’m just glad it’s here, honestly. You can only put up with so many convenience store ice cream bars…” Sora trailed off. Chuckling, Roxas reached out and poked him in the side of his belly.

“Wait ‘til you see what all that ice cream does to you.” He was probably being a hypocrite there, but whatever. “_That’ll_ make you regret all those convenience store ice cream bars.”

“Hey, I work out! I have to _walk_ to the convenience store, after all!”

He was clearly joking, and Roxas couldn’t help but snorting a laugh out at it, which Sora must’ve been looking for judging by the satisfied look on his face.

Still grinning, Roxas glanced over the menu in hopes of finding his favorite flavor, eyes shifting over the basics and then to the specialties with their odd names—seriously, he could understand something like Royal Berry but what the hell was a Bueno Volcano supposed to be—until he’d made it all the way through the list. Hmm. Usually it was nestled somewhere between rocky road and sherbet but…

“Know what you’re getting?” Sora asked, still tapping his finger against his chin as he squinted at the ice cream labels.

“I’m guessing this place doesn’t have sea salt ice cream, huh?”

That caught Sora’s attention. He blinked in confusion for a moment before staring at Roxas as if he’d just grown a second head.

“Sea…_what_?”

Roxas could already see it. Sora was about to make a face like he’d just bitten into a lemon—yup, there it was. Everyone made that face when they heard the name. _He_ certainly had until his friends had pushed him into trying it anyway.

“Sea salt ice cream,” Roxas repeated. “I know it sounds weird—”

“It sounds like a heart attack.”

“—_but_,” Roxas flicked Sora on the nose for his comment. “It’s pretty good once you try it. Became my favorite flavor.”

He sighed in acceptance then.

“And, yeah, it’s not exactly _healthy_, but then what ice cream is?”

“Who was it who suggested ice cream again?” Sora asked, crossing his arms and grinning cheekily.

“Hey! I didn’t hear you saying no.”

“Well, I—”

“If you’re done flirting with each other,” a voice interrupted. “I can take your order.”

Blinking in surprise, Roxas looked over the display to find the previously empty space behind it now occupied by one of those uniformed workers. She seemed as bored as ever, leaning against the glass and chewing on what looked like candy as half of it hung out of her mouth.

Ah well. As long as she wasn’t drooling all over their ice cream, Roxas wasn’t going to complain.

“I never said I was done flirting with him,” Sora joked before leaning against the display in a friendly and familiar way. It had an…odd feeling twisting around in Roxas’ gut. Like, yeah he was still thinking and reacting rationally, but some irrational part of him wanted to push Sora behind him and sneer at the server. It was stupid the more he thought about it. Instinct at its most base. So what if she was an alpha? So what if Sora knew her? He probably knew plenty of alphas. Of course it was stupid…

And yet it was so significant. It was like a mantra playing over and over again in his mind. _Protect his mate, protect his mate, protect his mate_. Over and over again.

This was what it was like to be mated to someone. How…different.

He didn’t really know how to react to those sorts of feelings. Not when there was nothing to actually protect Sora from. Still, the feelings were so strong. He wondered if Sora being his soulmate had a factor in that as well.

He wanted to think the pleased smile that threatened to pull at his lips at Sora’s response was all him though. He looked away from the server as he tried to hold it back, sure at least some remnant of it was there when he poked at Sora’s side again.

“Just get me whatever you recommend.” If his favorite flavor wasn’t there then he wasn’t really sure what else to go with, so he’d leave that to Sora.

“Hmm.” He rubbed at his chin in thought, looking for all the world entirely too serious about a decision on ice cream. “I’ve never tried sea salt ice cream, so I’m not sure what else you’d go for.”

“I’m not picky about sweets. The thing with sea salt is that the salty flavor offsets the sweetness rather than overwhelming it, so it’s not like I’m looking for the weirdest thing on the menu.” It was like putting crunched up plain potato chips in vanilla ice cream, but without the inevitable cuts that ended up on the roof of your mouth.

“Sea salt ice cream _would be_ the weirdest thing on the menu. That doesn’t really narrow my choices…”

Okay. He had a point. But still.

“_Look_.” The quip earned Sora another flick, this time on his hip. He didn’t seem to mind, judging by his snickering. “What I’m saying is that I don’t care what flavor you get. Pick one of your favorites and I’ll eat that.”

“Okay. Well, we can do the specialties since this is a date and all.” Curiously, the girl behind the display who’d been watching them in utter boredom raised a surprised eyebrow at Sora when he said that. “Hmm. I think you might like honeybunny. It’s sweet, but not _too_ sweet. Okay!”

Roxas waited patiently as Sora ordered both of their ice creams in waffle cones, scanning over the tables to find them empty seats. There was a table closer to the back that sat a bit isolated from the other occupied tables. It wasn’t empty inside per say, but Roxas had the feeling once dinner time passed and more people were out and about for the evening that people would start piling in. They came at a good enough time to avoid a crowd, so Roxas wanted to take advantage of that. Give them enough space and privacy to enjoy themselves without it feeling like there were eyes and ears over their shoulders.

There never really were, at least in Roxas’ experience, but again. Instinct. An innate desire to keep Sora to himself. He wondered if that might get intrusive. He hoped not; his parents were never like that so he didn’t think it’d become a _problem_ exactly. And his pops did warn him that having a new mate brought out certain feelings that were a little difficult to understand at first, especially for an alpha. He thought he was just getting dragged into the Talk again at the time, but now he was starting to get it. Just a little. Even just watching Sora exchange munny with the woman at the counter, watching their fingers brush when she handed him two ice cream cones, sent a sensation down his spine comparable to nails scraping against chalkboard.

Shaking his head at the feeling, Roxas tugged at Sora’s jacket and nodded his head towards the table he’d spotted. He was rewarded with a wide smile and a slightly sticky ice cream cone being passed into his hands.

“One honeybunny for you,” he started before smacking his lips jokingly as he presented his white and light blue, star-shaped sprinkle covered cone. “And one milky way for me.”

“Should I ask?” Roxas couldn’t even really tell what the “milky way” was.

“Vanilla, marshmallow and cotton candy,” Sora explained before licking the side of it, catching a mouthful of rainbow sprinkles.

“And you called sea salt ice cream a heart attack,” Roxas jabbed, rolling his eyes and snorting when Sora stuck a light blue, sprinkled tongue out at him.

“At least there’s no _salt_ in mine!”

“There’s salt in any ice cream.”

“At least you can’t _taste_ it!”

“Hey!” Roxas stuck his tongue out right back. “Don’t knock it ‘til you try it!”

“Whatever you say…” Sora shrugged before returning his attention to his ice cream.

Roxas lightheartedly wondered if this was the part where Sora licked at his treat suggestively until the build up of sexual tension in the air came to a peak and they both ended up sucking face in the middle of an ice cream parlor, as per the usual cliché. The sort of thing one saw in some romcom droning in the background when they didn’t have the energy to turn on something they were invested in.

Sora had dashed that right away when he promptly shoved what must’ve been half of the cone in his mouth.

“Hungry?” Roxas laughed, watching as Sora tried and failed to lick at a smear of ice cream on his cheek. His hand moved automatically when he reached out and swiped it off with his thumb. He hadn’t even thought about it when he brought his thumb to his mouth and licked it off until the taste of cotton candy hit his tongue.

Sora seemed to register the action faster than Roxas did, judging by the pink in his cheeks when he answered.

“I was about to start dinner when you came over, actually.”

“Huh? Why didn’t you say anything? We could’ve waited until after you ate.”

Sora shrugged at that.

“I mean… It’s our first date. I was excited, okay?”

Ah. It made sense, but still…

“Next time just tell me. We could’ve gone out for dinner or something,” Roxas said. Sora shrugged again and tucked back into his ice cream.

Roxas decided he wouldn’t push it, instead focusing on his own ice cream. It certainly looked and smelled good. It was molded in such a way that it looked as if it had bunny ears, and there was honey drizzled generously over it. When he tasted it, the smooth and sweet flavor of honey was almost overwhelming, enough so that he could barely make out the apple flavor of the ice cream beneath it. They complemented each other well, though. The right amount of sweetness, with a slight tang to perfect it.

It almost reminded him of Sora’s taste. Of Sora’s scent. Smooth and honeyed and sweet. It missed the warmth of lips and skin of course, but Roxas could almost close his eyes and imagine it was Sora his mouth was pressed against. He wanted it to be. And as his gaze slid over to Sora, he…

Hang on…

“Wait…” he stared at Sora for a second, noticing that something was missing. “Where’d it go?”

“Where’d what go?”

“The ice cream.” The only remnant of it was another tiny smear of it at the corner of Sora’s lips. “Where’d it go?”

“…I ate it?”

Bullshit, Roxas had barely blinked since they’d sat down and started eating.

Mildly disgruntled, Roxas stared at Sora for only a second longer before reaching over and pulling his shirt up, eyeing his stomach quizzically. He half expected to see an ice cream cone shaped mass there.

“But _where’d it go_??”

“Roxas…” Sora snickered. It turned into giggling when Roxas poked at him a bit. Jokingly, of course. He’d chalked it up to Sora being a fast eater. Mostly, he was just amused to discover that Sora was ticklish.

He’d file that away for later.

Instead, he pulled Sora’s shirt back down, reaching for a napkin this time and balling it up before wiping at the ice cream on Sora’s mouth. He’d managed to get it just as Sora batted his hand away and grabbed the napkin, wiping at his own mouth with pursed lips and a set to his brow that couldn’t quite settle on annoyed or amused.

“What’re you, my mother? Wait, scratch that. She’d just make it a bigger mess.”

There it was. Roxas wondered when they’d finally get to the ‘get to know you’ part. It’d have been awkward to try and initiate it without any sort of prompting, but Sora’s quip was as natural a segue as he could get. And Roxas was ready to soak the information in like an ice cream filled sponge.

“Oh yeah? Why, what’s she like?” Roxas asked. In his mind popped a ridiculous image of Sora but with boobs, and he had to fight back a laugh. Besides, he’d already seen a picture of her. It’d been a quick glance, but he remembered long black hair and kind, dark eyes. And a smile just as big and cheesy as Sora’s.

“Hmm… She’s, uh… Like any other mom, I guess? Except she’s kind of a big dork. She likes to pick on Dad a lot too. It’s kinda funny, ‘cause it’s like watching a rabbit poke a bear with a stick.”

That was equally as comical a mental image.

“What about you? What’s your mom like?” Sora asked. Roxas lips quirked up on one side in response in a wry smile.

“Don’t have one. Dad’s an omega.”

“Oh!” Sora smacked his palm to his forehead. “Duh. Way to go, me, assuming like that.”

“It’s fine,” Roxas shrugged. It was rarer in some parts of the world than in others. In big cities like Radiant Garden for example, the male-to-female omega parent ratio was a lot more even. It wasn’t uncommon in Twilight Town, but there were more kids with two moms or an omega mom and an alpha dad than there were with two dads or an omega dad and alpha mom. Simply a result of male omegas being a bit rarer. He didn’t know what it was like in Destiny Islands but it must not have been super common judging by Sora’s assumption.

“Not a lot of people with omega dads here, huh?” Roxas asked. It was Sora’s turn to shrug.

“I don’t know for certain. I mean, there are enough of them. Riku’s parents are both his dads. That was really on me for thinking that way.”

“It’s fine. Honest. Besides…” Roxas grinned and nudged Sora with his elbow. “You’d have probably been one of those omega dads if you hadn’t thought ahead.”

Internally he winced at his own joke. Might’ve been too soon for that. The slightly pained frown that Sora sent him seemed to confirm so.

“I wasn’t really thinking ahead. I just… Well, I went to take a shower and—” Sora cut himself off to peek around the parlor, making sure no one else was listening before lowering his voice to a near whisper. “And your you-know-what was running down my legs and I kinda figured that’d become a big problem if I ignored it.”

He had a point there.

“Yeah… Bad joke. Sorry.”

“No, don’t apologize. Takes two to tango and all that. And you never answered my question. Though I guess I should change it to ‘what’s your _dad_ like’.”

Right. Back on track—Roxas’ dad.

“Um. He’s also kind of a dork, I guess. But like, really straight-faced about it. Not like how my pops was—Pops was always really smiley about it. Kinda like you, actually. But Dad’s like…sometimes I wonder if he realizes how much of a dork he is, but then he makes some smart ass, self-aware comment out of nowhere.”

Roxas’ dad was kinda weird, actually. But _good_ weird. Of course.

“Sounds nice…” Though the tone in Sora’s voice was decidedly not cheery. Roxas raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for Sora to elaborate on that.

“…It’s just that… About your pops… You said ‘was’.”

Wh—

Oh.

He hadn’t even thought about it but…_oh_.

“Pops, uh, passed away three years ago,” Roxas told him. His tone of voice was every bit as awkward as he felt, bringing up such a subject on a first date. It’d have felt wrong to just brush it off and leave Sora hanging though.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t,” Roxas cut in. “The only one who should be apologizing for that is behind bars. Besides, I think Pops would just be upset if we ruined the whole atmosphere over his…over what happened.”

Sora was silent for a moment longer before finally nodding.

“Can you tell me about him too? If that’s alright?”

“Yeah it’s fine.” He probably wanted to hear good things about Roxas’ pops anyway. He could do that. It’d certainly bring back the jollier, first-date atmosphere. “Dad always described him like an overexcited puppy. Like, he was _always_ smiling. And he was a total geek, too. It’s kinda funny to think about, because you wouldn’t expect this super tall, super muscular, used-to-be-in-the-military alpha to be into space operas and table-tops, but he was. Big time.”

Roxas wondered if it’d color Sora’s view of him to tell him that the absolute geekdom his father exhibited had passed down wholeheartedly to him as well. Judging by the endeared look on Sora’s face, it probably wouldn’t.

“Sounds like he was a blast to be around,” Sora smiled, leaning forward on the table.

“He was. You’d have loved him. I _know_ he’d have loved you.”

That one slipped out too, and it wasn’t until Sora gasped and his cheeks flushed pink once again that Roxas realized the significance of his words. It was clear from them that Roxas intended to introduce Sora to his parents—or at least, his dad.

And he would. One of these days, he’d make good on taking Sora to Twilight Town so he could meet his dad.

“That’s…good to hear,” Sora breathed quietly, that soft smile still on his lips. A silence followed that Roxas refused to let grow awkward, opting instead to fill it with words. Besides, he’d told Sora about both his parents. Now he wanted to know the other one of his.

“What about you? What’s your dad like.”

Sora snorted hard enough that his shoulders hiked up and his eyes rolled a bit. Roxas wasn’t sure what to make of that.

“Stiff. Anti-social. Kind of an asshole? I mean, not to me and my mom and sister, of course. But like, he has no clue how to interact with people. At all. When you meet him, if he seems icy don’t feel bad. It’s just because he’s too awkward to know how to react to you.”

That was…different from what Roxas expected.

And honestly kinda funny.

“Pfft. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Please do,” Sora laughed. “And don’t worry, he won’t get all ‘overprotective papa alpha’ on you or anything. He’s just…_awkward_.”

“Also good to know.” Roxas had dealt with ‘overprotective papa alpha’ before. It was mildly terrifying. “What about your sister?”

“Hmm? She’s also an omega, so she’s not gonna get overprotective either. If that’s what you mean?”

“No, I mean… What’s she’s like?” That was one thing Roxas had never had a personal experience of. Sure he’d been friends with Hayner, Pence and Olette since elementary school and Lea, Xion and Naminé since high school and they were absolutely family to him in every way except blood. They were _like_ siblings, but he’d never had any actual ones of his own. _He_ hadn’t even been planned, and his dad wasn’t exactly keen to have more.

It was funny, Roxas thought, that he might’ve ended up in the same situation. Could still if the pill didn’t work. Not that he didn’t want kids, but well…

Not _yet_.

He thought he might want to give his first born a sibling later on if Sora wanted that too. That might’ve been thinking too far ahead though. Right now, he just wanted to know about Sora himself; including his family.

“Oh! Uh…she’s like Mom, I guess? Really peppy, likes to tease people… It’s kinda hard to describe without immediately jumping to ‘bratty kid sis’ though. You’d have to meet her.”

“Will I?”

“Oh yeah,” Sora nodded without missing a beat. “You’ll get to meet everyone.”

Roxas smiled at that.

“I’m glad,” he said before finishing his own ice cream cone. Sora waited quietly with a soft expression on his face, chin rested in his hands and eyes squinted happily.

“Do you have siblings?” Sora asked as Roxas slipped the remainder of his cone in his mouth. He shook his head as he chewed. It was as worth it as Sora said: ‘heavenly’ at the most basic description. Not quite like home, but Roxas figured nothing could really beat the memory of his first bar of sea salt ice cream.

Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing? Being there in the parlor on his first date with Sora. Being _with_ Sora. That’s what made it so much better.

A hint of honey still hung on the back of his tongue, a reminder of the sweet scent and even sweeter taste of his mate.

Right. His mate that had just asked him a question.

Shaking the, er, headier thoughts out of his head, he finally answered properly.

“Nope. It’s just me. Always has been.”

“But…” There was a crinkle in Sora’s brow then. A look in his eyes that wasn’t quite sadness but still teetered the line. “You’re not anymore, right? Not that way, I mean. But…”

He let out a frustrated huff then, sliding his palm over his face as that crinkle hardened into annoyance.

“I don’t know what I’m saying. Sorry, I just—”

“No I get what you mean.” Roxas reached out to pat Sora’s shoulder with the less sticky hand, rubbing it soothingly through his jacket. “I wasn’t saying I’m lonely, just that I don’t have any biological siblings.”

“But you’re right,” he continued, his voice quieter now. Softer. “You’re here, so yeah. I won’t ever have to worry about it being ‘just me’ anymore.”

The furrow in Sora’s brow finally smoothed out when he smiled at Roxas, lifting his head in that confident, self-assured way that was so _Sora_. It suited him much better than the doubt that had started to leak through the cracks. That was unnecessary. Roxas wasn’t planning on going anywhere.

His fingers moved from Sora’s shoulder and found their way to his mark again, marveling over it. Stroking his thumb over the raised skin and watching with intrigue as Sora shuddered again. His eyes were lidded, blue peeking out from under black lashes, and he licked his lips to clear them of any remnants of ice cream. Roxas’ gaze was drawn to them immediately, noting how pink and plush they were. Wondering if they’d taste even sweeter with sugar coated over them.

He didn’t stop himself from leaning in to try it.

Sora hummed in satisfaction when their lips met, slotting together perfectly. Roxas’ parted to take in the flavor of vanilla mixed with his natural honeyed sweetness. His arm snaked around Sora’s waist from under the table, pulling him as close as he could without dragging him out of his chair. Not that the thought hadn’t crossed his mind. The idea to continue this with Sora in his lap, grinding against him as they continued to kiss. Each meeting of their lips growing deeper until their tongues twisted together. The feel of Sora’s warm body against his, hand splayed against his supple cheeks, encouraging each rock of his hips.

Just the image of it in his mind had him gripping Sora tighter, kissing him more deeply, trying to chase some semblance of the daydream. It didn’t escape him that they were in public, but a part of him didn’t want to care. So what if there were people around? They could watch for all he cared. Watch him bend his mate over the table and take him, claim him. Make him call out Roxas’ name. Everyone would know Sora was his.

Except they weren’t animals and Roxas wasn’t interested in getting charged with public indecency, so instead, reluctantly, he pulled away. Not too far, though. He was still interested in continuing this.

“Let’s go somewhere else,” he mumbled, so close to Sora that their lips brushed with they spoke. He couldn’t quite help pressing another kiss to them.

“Mmm… Where else?” Sora asked when they parted again.

“Don’t care. Anywhere not here.”

“Hotel…?”

Hmm.

Everyone had taken Roxas’ date with Sora as an opportunity to go out and have their own fun so he knew no one was in the room at the moment. And it was unlikely that they’d come back very soon seeing as they’d finally used this day as water park day. It’d started as a way to give him some space when he was still moping, but it quickly became convenient now that the option to continue this at the hotel was on the table. Roxas didn’t mind missing out on the amusement park much anyway. He got to spend that time with Sora instead.

So unless the park suddenly caught fire or some other ridiculous thing, they would have the room all to themselves. And it was much closer than Sora’s house, so…

“Yeah, the hotel works.”

They both shot out of their chairs, giddy and giggling as Roxas grabbed Sora’s hand and pulled him along towards the hotel. They may have earned a few bemused stares in the process but neither of them cared all that much.

Roxas wasn’t even entirely sure what to make of this. Here they’d been blushing on the sidewalk on a tentative first date a good twenty minutes prior. No plans to continue where they’d left off two days ago, no intentions to go anywhere beyond that kiss, no sudden urges to rip each other’s clothes off. Just a date: a sweet, friendly date with a cute guy that was, thankfully, not carrying any future generations. It wasn’t really supposed to go beyond that. Yet now they were rushing up the sidewalk, red-faced and out of breath and all sweaty again, shoes slapping hard against the sidewalk in a noisy bustle, all the way to The Cove—the ritzy schmitzy place he and his friends had spent half their budget on alone, Roxas was sure. Why they needed such a fancy hotel, Roxas couldn’t fathom. Something about the ‘whole experience’ and ‘multiple rooms in a room’ and while the latter part was nice, it still felt like a little too much excess. Still, the last vacation they’d taken had been the summer after they all graduated high school and that had been to Traverse Town in a hotel that wasn’t even a fraction as glamorous, so he supposed he could understand the appeal.

All he needed was a door and a bed for this though. There was nothing he felt he needed to show off to Sora, so if anything the only convenience the hotel really held for him now was the offer of that.

That and it was the closest hotel to the beach. Another factor of how stupidly expensive it was.

Either way, no one paid them much mind when they blustered into the lobby, Roxas fumbling in his pocket for the keycard that’d let them use the elevator and, subsequently, get them both in the room. He’d pulled it out and all but slammed his finger into the arrow button.

Was he a little too excited? Maybe. But it’d been nearly two days since he’d gotten his hands on Sora and everything in his body screamed at him that that was nearly two days too long. Sora seemed to agree what with how he’d clutched Roxas’ shirt in one hand, the other snatching the keycard out from his fingers and swiping it once they’d gotten inside the elevator.

“What floor?” he blurted, nearly tripping over his words with how fast he’d spat them out. Roxas pressed the button for the sixth floor before closing the doors, not even bothering to see if anyone else was getting on. He didn’t really care. He didn’t really want them to.

The ride in and of itself was torturously long. So close together in such an enclosed space… Roxas was about five finger twitches from pawing at Sora until he’d gotten him out of his clothes anyway, but he kept his hands to himself. It’d be better to get to the hotel room where they could enjoy themselves as much as they wanted.

“What room?” was Sora’s next question. Roxas grabbed the hand still gripping his shirt and, in a funny mirror of how Sora had nearly dragged Roxas into the ice cream parlor, yanked him along down the hall until they reached the correct room number. He pulled the keycard back out of Sora’s hand, fumbling with it a bit before managing to get the door open.

In another familiar, though maybe not quite as amusing mirror of a past situation, Roxas had Sora pressed against the door the moment it had shut. Not a peep came from within the room; nothing aside from their heavy panting and then Sora’s quiet laughter. They were alone. Finally.

“I get the feeling you like having me up against the door,” Sora joked. Despite his easy attitude, there was a weight to the atmosphere that had Roxas’ fingers digging into Sora’s clothes, his knees bending at the heavy feeling until he slid down the length of Sora’s body. Slowly, as they were pressed together. Enough that he could feel Sora’s warmth against his chest, his arms, his palms, his face. Enough so that his lips dragged down the fabric of his tank top, and then his skin when Roxas pushed it out of the way. His fingers hooked around the waistband of Sora’s shorts while he peeled his hoodie and tank top off completely, pulling them and his underwear down until they pooled around his ankles.

Every inch of his skin was on display again. Roxas wanted to relearn it all over.

He started by breathing in Sora’s scent, nose and lips pressed into his pelvis as he pressed kisses to the sparse hair there.

“Only until we make it to the bed,” he sighed. Enjoying the hum of vibrations that traveled through Sora’s frame when he laughed a little louder. The sweet smell of interest and acceptance that wafted from him.

“We can’t do this _on_ the bed?”

Roxas hummed and nuzzled into the skin he’d just pressed kisses to before drifting down, ignoring Sora’s growing arousal even as he shifted impatiently and his hips twitched with only the barest of self-control holding him back, until his cheek was pressed against Sora’s leg. The bite he’d left on his inner thigh was still there, pink and prominent. He nipped at the soft skin and contemplated putting another below it. Marking Sora up until he was red and sore and his legs were shaking.

There was something he wanted to do first, though.

It still bothered him that he hadn’t gotten to finish with Sora that afternoon he’d left. More specifically, it bothered him that he hadn’t gotten to finish Sora off. The encounter ended on a slightly bitter note and it left a bland, wooden taste in Roxas’ mouth that he was determined to flush out with the taste of Sora instead.

The teasing could wait, then. He’d make up for that now.

Even when Sora protested a bit, choking out a tiny ‘hey’ when Roxas’ hand wrapped around his base.

“You didn’t…ngh, answer me… Wh-what’s wrong with the—”

“When you can’t stand anymore, we’ll move this to the bed.” So Roxas would have to do his damnest to make this good enough for Sora to go weak in the knees. When his legs were shaking and his breaths were heavy and his ankles were weak and his toes were curling into the carpet, Roxas would take care of him on the bed.

Of course, he didn’t expect Sora to take that as a challenge. So maybe his voice had been a bit cocky when he said it. But still…

“You say that like…mmm, like you’ll actually make me drop.” And he smirked down at Roxas like he was stepping up to that challenge.

Which. No.

Roxas wasn’t going to take that lying down.

Splaying his hand against Sora’s stomach, he pushed him back until he was lying flat against the door again, having leaned forward to better look Roxas in the eyes, but Roxas made sure that eye contact was kept when he stared up at him. He didn’t answer him. Not verbally, at least.

Not when his tongue peeked out to flick at Sora’s flushed tip. His fingers were still circled around the thick flesh at the base, squeezing lightly as he held his mate steady. Even as Sora’s hips twitched again, his body jolting as a shiver ran the length of it. He was red and throbbing and smooth as Roxas’ tongue swirled around the head, leaving it wet with saliva and drops of precum. He lapped each bead of it up. Pressed his lips against the source and tongued at the slit, sucking over it when he was rewarded with each droplet of flavor. Each quivering moan that tumbled out from Sora’s lips. Still watching him with a hawk-like gaze, even when Sora’s eyes glazed over and his expression went slack. Mouth rounded into a soft “O”, even as a pink tongue poked out to lick over soft lips.

Groaning around his mouthful of Sora, and earning a loud gasp in return, he finally broke eye contact when he sucked the rest of him in, hard enough that Sora’s knees were already trembling. Not letting up even when he pulled back, before pressing back in again. Only taking short, necessary breaths each time he bobbed his head. Taking Sora in deep enough that his lips met his fingers, still wrapped around Sora at the base, evenly and rhythmically with each motion of his head. Tongue sliding over the underside of Sora’s heat, flicking over the sensitive wrinkle of skin under his head before licking at the veins along his length. Letting the pool of saliva that dripped from his mouth and slid down his chin, the wet sounds of sucking and the chorus of moans that streamed from Sora’s lips, work him up until he was thrusting up into air and straining against his shorts. His other hand slid from Sora’s stomach, down the length of his thigh until it dropped off completely and ended in Roxas’ lap. Clenching triumphantly when Sora bent over, holding himself up only with the hands that had threaded into Roxas’ hair and clung to the strands desperately, before Roxas’ fingers uncurled and his palm was rested against his groin. Rubbing against his hardness through the fabric.

He didn’t let himself get too into it though. He couldn’t let himself get distracted with his own pleasure when he was doing so well at dragging Sora’s out. Just the sight of him, bent over and shaking and gasping, eyes squeezed shut now as he grabbed at Roxas’ hair and _pulled_—and fuck if Roxas didn’t want to cum right then and there, but he couldn’t. Not until he was buried knot-deep in Sora again. Not until that supple warmth was wrapped around him again. Not until he fucked Sora into release after release. Not until his limbs went numb and his eyes rolled back and there was nothing but Roxas’ name on his tongue.

Not until he made Sora feel good first.

He’d finish him this time. Multiple times. Time and time again.

He’d suck harder if he had to. Faster. Feeling Sora twitch against his tongue with each bob of his head, each flick of his tongue against Sora’s slit. Tasting each burst of flavor, salty to offset the sweet linger of ice cream at the back of his throat. Squeezing and licking and swallowing; groaning around him just to give him the extra sensation. Reveling in the heady scent that surrounded him and blocked the rest of the world out. The shaky moans that melted into his ears and spiraled around the inside of his skull: a smooth symphony to contrast the sharp staccato of fingers pulling at blond strands. A crescendo of sound and sight and touch and taste and smell, all in harmony. All in tune.

When Sora shuddered and spurts of hot white hit the back of Roxas’ throat, everything quelled into the quiet yet harsh sound of heavy breathing and sharp, greedy sucks. Roxas took everything Sora gave him. Everything and then some, still suckling at the tip when Sora started to slip out. Leaning forward to press his lips against every patch of skin presented to him as Sora slid down the door until he was on his knees, shaking and clinging to Roxas while his breaths steadied. Licking at his neck, just over the claim bite, and marveling at the tingly feeling it left over his tongue.

He wasn’t afraid of it anymore. Wasn’t upset or angry. Maybe a piece of him, far in the back of his mind, was still a bit miffed at himself for it. But he wasn’t going to let that take over. Not when they were finally taking baby steps towards making things right.

Well…in that regard, at least. They’d already learned each other intimately inside and out, so there was no reason to be shy there. No real reason to hold back beyond social norms and courtship expectations. The sorts of things Roxas found himself uncaring of in the wake of the news that they were soulmates.

Besides, they were both adults. Roxas doubted his eagerness to fuck Sora into the nearest mattress was really going to offend anybody.

Speaking of…

“Can you stand?” he asked, his voice small as his face was still pressed against Sora’s neck. He wouldn’t mind carrying him to the bed, but he at least had to make sure Sora was okay.

And maybe gloat a little. He _did_ manage to get him on his knees.

Just a little, though. He was past any sort of interest in any sort of competition at this point. Straight to the chase was more his style.

“I can, I just…” Sora trailed off with a huff as all of his muscles quivered from the rush of pleasure he was still coming down from. It’d been sudden, despite their sprint to the hotel leading up to it, and he hadn’t quite recovered.

“Want me to carry you?”

He’d expected, from the competitive tone that had been in Sora’s voice earlier, that he’d be met with an indignant and resounding “no”, but…

“Yeah, I… Yeah,” he nodded. Even his voice was a bit shaky, along with his breaths. Overwhelmed and quickened alongside a racing pulse. His skin had flushed red, painting an apple sweet image over his entire body that had Roxas _throbbing_ with need. He’d taken only a second to hook Sora’s legs around his waist, grabbing him around his middle and hefting him up. Sora all but wrapped himself around Roxas, clinging tightly as he was carried over to the bed. He didn’t unhook his legs from around Roxas’ waist when he was laid down, smiling mischievously as he used them to pull Roxas down on top of him.

“You gonna lose the clothes any time soon?”

Right. Roxas _was_ still dressed…

“You kinda have me trapped here,” Roxas joked, though he made quick work of stripping himself regardless. The shirt went first; balled up and thrown somewhere behind him carelessly. He had to extract himself from Sora’s legs to get his pants and underwear off next, but those too soon disappeared and he was pulled back down to Sora again. Still hard, Roxas groaned appreciatively and shuddered when he lined up with Sora, who was already starting to get it back up. And Sora arched his back, grinding against Roxas and creating a friction that was almost _too good_. So good that another shudder wracked his body and he felt himself throbbing harder as his pulse spiked. It was almost painful; he found the sensitive skin of his knot reacting the most to the open air and he involuntarily reached down and squeezed a hand around it just for some relief. His other was clutched into the sheets, shaking as his fingers numbed, and his eyes had slid shut.

So he’d missed it when Sora grabbed for him. It only barely registered that a hand was batting his away before a smooth, warm palm encircled his knot, fingers massaging at it where they’d wrapped around it. Fuck if he didn’t nearly explode right then and there.

“Fuck, Sora… I’m gonna… You’re gonna make me…” he gasped out in shaky breaths. Warm air washed over his face as Sora exhaled, his own breaths heavy from excitement. Fingers squeezed around him and he almost—! He almost let go…

But he did promise to himself that he’d make this good for Sora. He couldn’t do that if he was blowing his load at the slightest touch.

This time it was Roxas pulling Sora’s hand away, grasping his wrist so that he could pin it to the bed. He grabbed the other one to for good measure, his grip tight enough to hold Sora but light enough to give him the option to pull away. An offer he didn’t take as he instead tilted his head up to slot his lips against Roxas’. His sweet taste was on Roxas’ palate again as he swiped his tongue across plump lips, delved it into a hot mouth and let it tangle with Sora’s. Slow and languid, like the slide of their bodies as Roxas lowered himself on top of Sora completely. Felt his warmth radiating; spreading through Roxas until it heated the tips of his fingers and toes. Felt his legs spread wider, welcoming Roxas in. Felt the wet, sticky smear of slick against his skin. He could _smell_ it even through Sora’s honey scent; the heady smell of arousal, of sex. It was like a beacon, alerting him in wave after wave that Sora was ready for him. He let go of one of Sora’s wrists to hold himself steady, not even registering the movement until he was already pushing inside.

Roxas trembled at the feeling, breaking the kiss as he grit his teeth in hopes of not ending everything far too early. It’d only been two days and yet it felt like it’d been a million years since he’d last been inside this warmth. Sora squeezed around him involuntarily, panting and gripping the sheets as more precum dribbled out against his stomach. Locking his legs around Roxas, shaking, as he tried not to cum as well. He had to have been feeling the same thing Roxas was; wanting to hold out in the same way Roxas did.

Except, looking over his flushed, sweat soaked body, his heaving chest and peaked nipples, his muscles straining from exertion, his plump lips pink and soft and open, his eyes squeezed shut, his fingers curled into beige sheets, Roxas didn’t want him to hold back. Even when it sent a throb of pure pleasure through him when he started to move, even when he held on with all his being to keep from orgasming, he _needed_ to give that to Sora. He needed to see him unravel again.

All it took where a few firm, well-aimed thrusts. Languorous so as to not overstimulate himself, and yet purposeful. Forceful enough to rock Sora in time with them. Just enough to leave him gasping for air, blindly groping at nothing, babbling quietly until his eyes, now wide open, locked with Roxas’ and streaks of white coated his stomach. Only then did Roxas let go, shivering as the throbbing in his loins, the spikes of pleasure that zapped up and down his spine, came to an apex.

He’d learned his lesson. This time, he pulled out before he came. Unlikely as it’d be to actually put a bun in Sora’s oven outside of heat, he didn’t want to take any chances. It _could_ still happen.

And he hadn’t bought any condoms because, if he was being completely honest with himself, he wasn’t really thinking about it. He hadn’t even planned on this; it was _just_ supposed to be a date.

Hell, he hadn’t even planned on the _date_.

Still, the image of Sora flushed and laid out across the sheets, panting and leaking slick and covered in cum, was more than worth it. Even if the sex leading up to it wasn’t much of note.

“That was fast,” he chuckled. Sora snorted and nodded along.

“We can do it again,” he offered. Which, well…yeah. He had a point. “Thanks for pulling out, by the way. Really not trying to tempt fate there.”

“You and me both.”

“Mm. We’re not really off to the best start on the whole dating thing, are we?” he smiled, though it was more subdued this time. The sort that didn’t really reach his eyes, even as his fingers played over Roxas’ skin in gentle patterns. Trailing over his torso, over his stomach and the trail of pale blond hair that led a pathway down to where Roxas was still wet with Sora’s slick. There wasn’t an easily discernable tone in his voice though. It was a bit worrying.

“Did you want to stop?”

“Stop what?”

“Stop _this_.”

Sora grimaced at that and it took Roxas a second to realize why.

“Not this whole thing of course! Just…we keep ending up in bed like this and… I mean, that was just barely our first date…”

“I’m not saying it’s a _bad_ thing, just that… Well, I guess none of this has gone the ‘normal’ way, but is that really worth caring about? I mean, we’re both on board with, uh…_’this’_, right?” Sora shrugged, pulling his fingers away so that his arms rested at his sides. Giving Roxas the option to stop if he wanted to take it.

He wondered what it said about him that he didn’t consider that out for a second. As easy as it was to point out how unconventional their, er, courtship—if it could be called that—had been so far, it didn’t mean Roxas wanted to pull away. He offered it up in case Sora wanted to but…

Judging by his reaction, he didn’t want to stop either.

“Did you… _Are_ you on board? I mean, we can slow down—”

“No,” Roxas cut Sora off. “I’m on board, I just…”

Everything had been hot and fast and heavy with them. A loss of control, a spiral of emotions. Smells and sights and sounds and touch. The feel of smooth skin and hot flesh. The scent of warmth and sugar and honey. The tingle of Sora on his lips. He wasn’t even sure how they’d transitioned so quickly from an ice cream date to being naked and entangled on a hotel bed, but somehow they’d managed it again. They’d managed to forget themselves and let their bodies take over. It was so _easy_. Easier than intimacy like this had any right to be with someone Roxas had barely known a week. Easy to forget the finer details and immerse himself in the pleasure. The knowledge that Sora felt just as good as he did.

It meant he missed a lot. He didn’t even really know all that made Sora _tick_. All he had to fall back on was raw, carnal _sex_. Like two animals rutting. He barely knew Sora’s sensitive spots, or what he liked best or didn’t like at all… He’d barely taken the time to learn them. He supposed that was what really felt so rushed about the entire thing. Sora was right in that there was nothing wrong with them indulging in one another if they were both on board. It was more so how they indulged that bothered Roxas. If they were going to be serious about this—and they damn well were if that mark on Sora’s neck was anything to go by—then Roxas wanted to treat Sora like a lover. Not a fuck-buddy.

“Just…let me take this a little slower, okay?”

He wanted to learn Sora. He wanted to run his fingers over every inch of smooth skin and just _feel_ him. The last time wasn’t enough. It barely quenched Roxas, and with Sora he was parched. He had to touch him _more_.

So he did.

He started from the top, hands cupping Sora’s face so that his cheeks were squished and his lips puckered out a little, earning a laugh from himself and a half-amused, half-disgruntled frown from Sora. Pressing a chaste kiss to his puffed-out lips, Roxas started to work his way down. His fingers ghosted along Sora’s jawline, trailing down along the length of his neck. He brushed a thumb over Sora’s mark again, slowly this time. Gently, like a caress. His lips weren’t far behind, pressing repeatedly against every inch of skin he could reach. His lips, his cheeks, his chin, his throat. Right over the red crescents, almost gleefully. Almost thankfully. He focused attention on it until the skin around it bloomed bright pink, shiny with spit. His nose buried into the well of pure scent there as he kissed over Sora’s pulse, feeling it quicken as he heard Sora swallow and felt him shift. Felt lean arms wrap around him, palms skimming over his skin in encouragement.

“I don’t mind slow,” Sora mumbled as he skated his fingers over Roxas’ back, tracing patterns once again. Rubbing his palms over Roxas’ sides or running his fingers lightly over Roxas’ spine. Smiling when Roxas shivered at the sensation. It was a learning experience for both of them, it seemed.

“Good,” Roxas grinned against Sora’s skin, sliding back up to place a longer, more sensual kiss to Sora’s lips. The sort that had his tingling as they moved against Sora’s. The sort he could taste. Only pulling away when Sora’s fingers dug into his skin. “I’m gonna make it good.”

At that, the hands on his back relaxed. Splayed out as Sora held tight to Roxas; grinding his hips up in search of that electrifying friction that had Roxas trembling again. It wasn’t hot and heavy, like how desperately they’d taken each other every time before. More a gentle rocking that built up a sluggish pool of heat in Roxas’ groin. Hands that slid down to grip his butt, nails scraping lightly against the skin, so that shivers ran up the length of his spine. Another long kiss pressed to his mouth, lips smacking wetly, tongues tangling.

Roxas broke it this time. He still had a lot of skin left to cover in kisses.

One more tiny meeting of lips was held before Roxas trailed his mouth back down Sora’s skin, following the pathway of pinkening marks he’d left. Sucking over Sora’s bond bite again before placing nips and kisses over his collarbone. Smiling when Sora sighed in contentment. He lapped at every bead of sweat in the hollow at his throat, pressing kisses over his pulse, his adam’s apple, his scent gland. Trailing his mouth down and licking at the skin before pressing open-mouthed kisses to it. Thoughts of ‘oh he likes this’ crossed his mind at every thankful sigh, and ‘maybe not that’ at every disinterested pause in-between. Nips at his shoulders earned him playful hums, fingers trailing along his sides garnered sensitive giggles. A smattering of kisses on his chest was met with excited squirming and forceful grinding; as if Sora had forgotten himself as he pressed their bodies together harder.

He definitely liked that then.

Roxas placed his hands on Sora’s hips to put a halt to the grinding, knowing that he’d end up getting too worked up if it continued anyway. Besides, he didn’t need to be distracted. He’d discovered something Sora _really_ liked. It didn’t take too many guesses to figure out where Sora wanted Roxas’ mouth to be as he shifted and arched up and groaned when his nipple rubbed against Roxas’ chin. Roxas almost wanted to tease him for his impatience. _Almost_. He could admit he was just as excited to have Sora in his mouth again. Giving in to Sora’s demands, he latched onto a nipple and sucked at it, laving his tongue over it as it grew harder. Pulling back to press a kiss to it before his mouth covered it again, this time flicking his tongue over it and enjoying the way Sora arched into his mouth and bucked against him. He only released Sora’s hips with one hand in order to play with the other one. Rolling it between his fingers, pulling it lightly, rubbing his thumb over it in time with the flicks of his tongue over the one in his mouth. Only leaving it when it was practically glowing red and shiny with spit. Grinning teasingly, he blew over it and tried not to laugh when Sora let out a string of expletives in response. Some of which were in a completely different language, amusingly enough.

He moved over to the other one then to lavish it in an equal amount of attention, replacing his thumb with his teeth as he bit at it lightly. Licking over it when Sora jerked at the sensation.

“You’re a tease, and this is pure evil,” he gritted out between clenched teeth. This time, Roxas did laugh.

“You said you don’t mind slow.”

“I didn’t think you’d _torture_ me.”

“_Oh, woe is Sora_,” Roxas smirked. He was rewarded with a middle finger, sure, but it was worth it. Sora was too easy to play with.

“More like woe is Roxas if I go home and finish this myself.” His tone of voice wasn’t serious. He’d stuck his tongue out when he said it. And yet it’d still sent a reaction Roxas hadn’t expected shooting through his entire body like shots of pure ice, culminating into a sound in the back of his throat that he was pretty sure he’d never made before. It’d even managed to surprise Sora, who lay still as he blinked up at Roxas.

“…Holy shit, did you just—”

“_Don’t_.” Roxas cleared his throat, unclenching his hands where they’d, against his will, gripped tightly into Sora’s skin. “Don’t leave. I’ll go faster, if that’s what you want…”

“No, I mean—” Cheeks a bit pink, Sora averted his gaze to the side as he continued. “I don’t actually want you to rush. I _liked_ it.”

Heat rushed to Roxas’ face as well, although he was certain it was in shame. He’d never… Not even in his past relationships… That sort of thing was so _possessive_.

“Sorry I uh…” Hoo boy, this was awkward. “…growled at you like that.”

“Would it be weird to say that I liked that too?”

Huh.

Technically no? There were a good number of people who were into that. But there were also plenty of people who absolutely _weren’t_ into that, and Roxas hadn’t expected… Well. He supposed this was part of the learning experience too.

“I mean, I’m the one who did it if we’re talking about who’s making this weird,” Roxas finally shrugged.

“Okay well I might’ve came a little bit when you did it, so…” Sora trailed off, leaving Roxas with a befuddled raised eyebrow.

“Wh—how do you cum a ‘little bit’?”

Sora’s eyes flickered downward and Roxas’ followed—and yeah okay, he saw what Sora meant. A fresh dribble decorated his stomach and dripped over his side, smearing when Roxas’ absentmindedly trailed his fingers over it.

“Oh.”

“I’ve honestly never been this worked up with anyone before,” Sora laughed sheepishly. He was still pink and still looking away as he said it, and Roxas wiped his fingers on the sheets before clasping them lightly over Sora’s chin to grab his attention.

“Neither have I, but…” An awkward, one-shoulder shrug accompanied Roxas’ words. “We’ll figure it out. We’re soulmates, after all.”

Sora chuckled at that.

“If I’m being honest here? I don’t really care about the soulmate thing. I just want _you_.”

Those words alone filled Roxas’ stomach with a warm, fluttery feeling. Filled his entire being with warmth, actually. He wasn’t stupid enough not to recognize what that was, but wow did it take him by surprise either way. No wonder it’d felt so…strange to just write it off as ‘we’re soulmates’. That wasn’t why he was here. That pull that he felt when he first met Sora, that desperate _need_ for him… It hadn’t disappeared, but it was so far in the back of his mind now. Right there and then, it was just two people who really liked each other learning to be intimate. Wanting to take this beyond that base instinct; that draw like a taught string. A tug-o-war that only dragged them closer. They were close now; they’d satisfied that need. What they did beyond that was up to them.

And yeah, Roxas found that he didn’t really give a damn about the soulmate thing either. He just wanted Sora too.

Nodding in agreement, Roxas couldn’t even find his words before he leaned down and pressed his lips to Sora’s again. Sure he got the message across, not just with his lips but with his hands as they dragged over Sora’s skin, a little more forceful than the gentle caresses of before but not as frantic. With his body, lined up perfectly with Sora’s, hips rolling against his. Not even bothering to enter him again. Just wanting to _feel_ him. Just wanting to touch him, and loving how he was touched in returned. Loving how Sora’s hands wandered over his back, his arms, his butt, his thighs, before shifting to his front to run the length of his chest and stomach. Admiring him with fingerpads and the light scratch of nails. Gripping his hips as he ground down against Sora’s. Wrapping a hand around both of them and stroking in a broken, uneven, stuttered pattern while another gripped into the hair at the base of Roxas’ head and held tight. Kissing him back just as fervently as quiet, pleased sounds occasionally escaped his mouth.

All of it was a bit too much. Still overwhelmed by feelings, by touch and taste and smell and sound. Still sensitive from having been inside Sora again. The feeling of fingers on his skin, nails ghosting over his scalp and alighting his nape with goosebumps. Warm, sweet lips against his and a wet tongue pushed into his mouth that he sucked at eagerly. The friction of Sora’s hand around them as they rubbed together, hips still shifting in search of more. The pressure and the heat and the slick and the sweat. The smell of euphoria when Sora’s lips parted from Roxas’ and he cried out, head tilted back. Hand stilling and squeezing as hot streaks of cum coated his and Roxas’ bellies, before shifting to encircle only Roxas’ sex now. Twisting and stroking and gripping tightly around the knot, and it was barely half a minute before Roxas was letting go as well. Shivering and moaning through his orgasm as all his muscles locked in place while Sora stroked him through it.

He relaxed only when Sora finally released him, still shaking slightly at the phantom memory of stimulation even as he laid himself over Sora bonelessly. Pressing minute kisses to his jaw and cheek as he waited for all of the energy that had drained out of him to come back. Smiling as Sora stroked his fingers through Roxas’ hair with one hand and rubbed the small of his back with the other. It hadn’t gone exactly the way Roxas had expected it too, but he didn’t mind that. Not when _this_, the aftermath, was so calm and comfortable. It’d at least come to a point he’d hoped it would: the awkward, upsetting atmosphere of their last encounter was nowhere to be found. Instead he was wrapped in Sora’s arms, warm and content and more than happy to continue.

Which, it seemed, Sora was in agreement with.

“Again,” he sighed contentedly.

And Roxas obliged.

-o-o-o-o-

By the time they’d tired themselves out enough that it’d be more of a chore to continue, and instead ended up spooning on the bed, still panting and sweaty from their last round, he figured it was about time they discussed some things.

“So you know…” Roxas started. “My friends were debating on whether I should stay here or go back home.” Though they weren’t the only ones, of course. It was a decision that still prodded at the back of Roxas’ mind, refusing to be ignored.

“Huh?” Sora turned his head to peer at Roxas with a mixture of confusion and concern in his eyes.

“Why would you stay here? Don’t you have a life back home? I’m not gonna take that away from you,” he said. Roxas was already shaking his head.

“I do, but…” Hayner had a point when he said Roxas wasn’t _tethered_ to Twilight Town. He had a life, sure, but it wasn’t solely based there. He could take his work anywhere. And he knew his friends would happily come back to the islands to visit him. It still caused an apprehension in him; the idea of moving so far away with no one but Sora waiting for him. But on the other hand, Sora felt like more than enough.

“But…?”

“I _want_ to be here with you.” A flash of doubt had a crease forming in Roxas’ brow. “Unless, you don’t want me here…?”

Sora breathed a sigh of relief that had the same emotion washing over Roxas.

“Of course I want you here. And I’m glad to hear that you want to be here too. But Roxas…”

“Hmm?”

“I think you should go back. Take some time to think it over. That’s your home that you’re leaving. It shouldn’t just be for me,” Sora sighed.

Roxas was silent for a moment, letting his words sink in. If he was anyone other than Sora, Roxas would’ve agreed in a heartbeat. Twilight Town was _home_. Up and leaving it would’ve been unreasonable…had he not had Sora in Destiny Islands. If he could take Sora with him, he would. But all things considered, it’d be easier on both of them if he stayed.

“What if I _wanted_ to leave home just for you,” he offered, hoping Sora would understand. He’d go back and it’d feel like there was a hole where something used to be. That wasn’t really worth it, the more Roxas considered it.

“I…” Sora seemed a bit torn as a number of emotions flashed through his eyes. “I still think you should go back home first. But I want you to know, if you do decide to come back, you’re more than welcome in my home. I _want_ you to stay with me, but you shouldn’t let me influence your decision.”

It…helped. A lot. Knowing that Sora wanted him to stay. Knowing that if he did decide to leave Twilight Town, he’d have a home to go to on Destiny Islands. A home with Sora; his _soulmate_. And Sora had a point. Spending some time apart might help clear Roxas’ head a little. Help him make this decision more rationally. Here, on this bed, wrapped up in each other’s arms, Roxas knew he wouldn’t be able to pull away. Maybe time back home would give him the space he needed to really think things through. It’d uproot him, yeah, but not to the extent it might if he owned his own home or worked for someone else, doing something that required he physically be there. Still, he was leaving a lot behind…

“I’ll think about it, okay?” he reassured Sora, earning himself a pleased smile in return. He gave a tentative one back before pulling Sora closer to him, snuggling his face into cinnamon colored hair. “Later, though. I _am_ still on vacation.”

“True,” Sora laughed, nodding in agreement. “Later then.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, folks. Last chapter.
> 
> Beyond this are a few epilogues/bonus chapters that I'll post all together over the course of next weekend. Everything should be out by Christmas.

“Nope, you’re going!”

“Okay.”

“Don’t argue with me.”

“I’m not arguing.”

“You’ve spent like all week with Sora, and we’re doing this vacation thing _now_!”

“It wasn’t really all week, but—”

“Dude, I could _track_ that guy, just going off the scent he left all over you. Don’t even.”

“Please don’t…”

Though Roxas wasn’t exactly making an effort to stop Hayner. He wasn’t really opposed to what he and the others were suggesting. They were right, after all. He’d spent most of his free time hanging around Sora’s house and he’d found it harder and harder to leave each time. It was probably good for him to get away for a bit and spend time with his friends, like he’d meant to when they first planned this trip.

Besides, he and Sora were in an odd in-between in which they flip flopped between the dating stage and the honeymoon phase. Sure, they went out and did cute things or stayed in and cuddled up on the couch, watching tv, but then Roxas had yet to enter that house and leave without them having gotten their hands on one another in _some_ way. His friends joked and hooted and hollered over it just to embarrass him, and he hated that he gave them what they wanted every time his face flushed red, but they had a point. For having just started this tentative dating situation with Sora, they were having a lot of sex. Like. _A lot_.

It was about time Roxas remembered the rest of the world existed.

More specifically, it was about time he remembered he was on vacation. With his friends. Who haven’t seen him for more than a few minutes…in the past six days.

No wonder they were pissed.

“It really has been a while since you’ve hung out with us, Roxas,” Olette added. It seemed nonchalant from how she wasn’t looking at him, instead calmly rubbing sunscreen on her arms, but Roxas still got the distinct impression that he was being scolded like a kid who’d earned himself time-out for pushing his friend off the monkey bars.

Which was kinda ridiculous, but okay. He wasn’t going to argue when they all had a point.

“Yeah, we did most of the shit we had planned without you,” Hayner grumped as he crossed his arms.

“Which, by the way, we were totally willing to wait for you to do while you figure your stuff out with Sora,” Pence chipped in. He sat crosslegged on the floor in front of the couch that Olette was half draped over, with only his hair visible behind the coffee table-turned-tourist junk holder. Judging by the amount of stuff that had accumulated, Roxas figure he must’ve missed a lot.

But he _had_ asked them to go on without him. After all, like Pence said, he had “Sora stuff” to figure out.

“I know you were. But I wasn’t gonna be the one to ruin the whole vacati—” He was cut off when Hayner looped an arm around his neck and started to noogie him, earning only a compulsory struggle in return.

“It’s. All. Of. Our. Vacation,” he gritted out even when Roxas smacked the back of his hand against Hayner’s mouth. They wrestled for a bit longer while Olette and Pence watched with rolled eyes and resigned smiles.

“Nice to see you two grew up into respectable adults,” Pence grinned.

“He started it!” Hayner grouched petulantly.

“Get off me, jackass!” Roxas shot back, flailing at Hayner uselessly even though he’d been effectively pinned to the floor.

Pence had a point, it _was_ pretty childish. But it was just them; he knew none of his friends really cared.

“Despite him being a four-year-old about it,” Olette started, ignoring Hayner when he shouted an affronted “hey!” at her. “He has a point. We were fine waiting to do everything _with_ you Roxas. You’re part of this vacation too. You’re not ruining anything.”

Roxas rolled over so that he was on his back, able to see Olette more clearly when he tried to answer her.

“Yeah, but—” Except he was cut off when Hayner grabbed both sides of his face and pulled.

“No buts! It’d be one thing if you were just fucking off for no good reason, but what kinda assholes would we be if we had a problem with you wanting to be with your _soulmate_?”

“At the same time though,” Pence cut in. “We do wanna enjoy this time _with_ you, Rox. It’d be no fun for the whole vacation to go by and we rarely ever see you.”

Sighing, Roxas pushed Hayner’s hands away and nodded. He knew they weren’t trying to guilt him into anything. They were only telling the truth: they missed him. And they shouldn’t have had to.

“You’re right. And I’m sorry. I wanna spend time with you guys too,” he said. It felt wrong, thinking of it like a choice. One or the other. His friends or Sora. He wished they could all be together at once rather than having to bounce back and forth. And it felt terrible, seeing the mixture of emotions on Pence and Olette’s faces at his words. Like they’d realized the same, as if they felt they were making him choose.

Hayner, on the other hand, only huffed indignantly and crossed his arms. Obviously trying to keep some levity in the atmosphere.

“You _should_ apologize. You owe me an entire week’s worth of ice cream for this, punk.”

It helped.

“You don’t need any more ice cream, fat ass, get off me,” Roxas joked.

“I’m not fat! It’s muscle! Maybe if you weren’t such a noodle all your life, I wouldn’t be so heavy!”

“Who’re you calling a noodle, spaghetti head?”

“Who’re you calling ‘spaghetti head’, Rucksack!”

A tiny laugh met Roxas’ ears and he tilted his head back until he could see Naminé, perched at the hotel kitchen table and scribbling away at her sketchbook. She hadn’t paid them any mind the entire time, to the point where if her scent hadn’t been mixed in with Hayner, Pence and Olette’s, Roxas would’ve forgotten she was there, but he figured it was about time he dragged her into it. Playfully, of course.

“Nam, I’m being bullied,” he complained at her. He even poked his bottom lip out for more of an effect.

At the very least, it had a tiny amused smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

“Stop bullying Roxas, Hayner,” she responded plainly.

“I am not! He called me spaghetti head!” Hayner huffed, hands fisted into Roxas’ shirt as he shook him lightly.

“Stop calling Hayner names, Roxas.”

“Nami, just let them fight it out,” Olette laughed. “Eventually they’ll tire themselves out and go take a nap or something.”

“You say that like we’re a couple of little kids,” Roxas said, hand in Hayner’s face as they continued to wrestle like a couple of little kids.

Pence peeked up over the souvenirs piled on the coffee table to raise a skeptical eyebrow at them both. Whatever he had to say—which likely would’ve been unnecessary as Roxas was entirely aware of how his actions complemented his and Olette’s words—was interrupted when the room’s door clicked open.

Tilting his head back again, Roxas watched as Lea and Xion both shuffled inside, looking as hot and sweaty as one would’ve expected from two people wandering around in that heat outside. Naminé finally set her sketchbook aside to greet them both, smiling serenely when Xion made a beeline for her and nuzzled her face into Naminé’s neck.

“How’d it go?” Nam asked, petting Xion’s head despite the sweat that matted her hair down.

“So I got permission for the…” Lea trailed off when he caught sight of Roxas and Hayner on the floor, still tangled up in their mock fight, before shrugging and continuing. “I got permission for the bonfire. Long as we dig a pit and keep it small, we’re all clear.”

“Should we be worried that you were given permission to play with fire?” Roxas grinned. Lea laughed sarcastically before blowing a raspberry at Roxas.

“You gotta a better idea, Horndog? It was on the itinerary.”

“Will you guys leave me alone about that! I’m trying to make up for it now!”

“Calm down, Rox, I’m not trying to get on your case. Just saying, we’re still sticking to the plan—like you asked—and the bonfire was part of it. Y’know, our send off for the first week.”

“It was only part of the plan because _you_ asked,” Xion snorted from her spot, half draped over Naminé.

“Details,” Lea waved off.

“I know, I know,” Roxas sighed. “The Plan. I haven’t forgotten.”

Lea tapped his temple with a forefinger and smirked.

“Well try not to _forget_ that we only have one more week. It’s not exactly a reworkable plan with the time allotted.”

Rolling his eyes at the gesture, Roxas pushed Hayner off of him and sat up. He hadn’t forgotten any of that, and he meant it when he said he’d go with everyone to the bonfire. He wasn’t planning on missing any more time with his friends. Even if it sent a little pang of regret to give up that time with Sora.

It wasn’t as if he could just expect Sora to drop everything and get dragged around by Roxas’ friends either though. His mate—_boyfriend_, god that still made him glow like a sixteen-year-old with a crush, had his own friends, his own plans and his own life.

And Roxas _wanted_ to have this time away from daily life where he could just goof off with his friends and not worry. Not have to think about what happened next.

“Well.” There were no promises that Roxas wouldn’t spend more time with Sora in the next week. But he’d make damn sure not to spend _all_ of his time away from his friends. “Good thing I got The Plan memorized then.”

“Did you just steal my catchphrase?”

“Lea,” Xion sighed. She didn’t bother elaborating, sure that the exasperated tone in her voice got the message across. “Anyway, let’s focus on tonight’s part of the plan and worry about next week later, okay? We got permission for the bonfire, we brought some firewood, and we have enough s’mores to feed a colony so I hope you guys didn’t fill up on dinner.”

“I am ready for my marshmallow coma,” Hayner told her solemnly. Xion snorted.

“I won’t be the one dragging you back to the hotel.”

Roxas touched his finger to the tip of his nose.

“Not it!”

Olette, Pence and Lea were quick on the uptake, following Roxas’ example.

Hayner sent a pleading look to Naminé, the only one blinking in confusion.

“You’ll carry me back, right Nam?”

“Sure. I’m obviously the only one here equipped to do so,” she answered without missing a beat, flexing a non-existent bicep and sending everyone into a fit of giggles.

Roxas missed this. The fun and the laughter without the worries and the complications.

He wondered when he and Sora would reach this point. When the awkward in-between dating phase finally settled into something just as comfortable. When it would no longer be one or the other in his mind. When the fun and the laughter _included_ his new mate. Being around Sora caused such an indigestible mixture of emotions that Roxas couldn’t quite make sense of yet. The fun was there, the laughter was there, the comfort was _there_. But it was separate; too intertwined with the worry and the confusion. Too new, too different. Not like it was with the people Roxas had known for _years_.

He wanted it to be that way. Eventually. He wanted it to stop being separate: his friends _or_ Sora. One day, he wanted it to be his friends _and_ Sora. Effortlessly, as if there had never been anything else. As if Sora was as permanent a fixture in Roxas’ life as fate wanted him to be.

As Roxas wanted him to be.

Eventually.

For now, he needed to make sure Lea wasn’t going to do something absurd like set the beach on fire.

-o-o-o-o-

“Okay, so… we dug a pit.”

Lea started ticking off points on his fingers as Roxas nodded along.

“Uh huh.”

“Tossed the firewood in.”

“Yup.”

“Made a little thingiemajig with it.”

“Yeah.”

“Tossed a match in aaaand…”

Roxas stuck his tongue out at the poor excuse for a bonfire in front of him.

“Squat.”

Lea stuck his tongue out at it too.

“I’m disappointed in you, bonfire. I had such high hopes for you,” he sighed, hands on his hips as he shook his head.

Not that there wasn’t a fire at all, but what was there was kinda pitiful. It didn’t even meet halfway to the height restriction they were given.

“Face it, Lea… We were bamboozled. That firewood didn’t guarantee a happy fire.” The sign in front of it even had a little smiling flame right above the price listing.

There was no smiling flame now.

“Damn. My ultimate weakness: bamboozlement,” Lea sighed.

Xion shuffled over as the two continued to stare morosely into their tiny bonfire and tossed some tinder into it, staring at them blankly all the while.

“You guys are dweebs.”

“Says the third to our Stooge,” Lea said, clicking his tongue in what would’ve passed for annoyance if he wasn’t grinning at his own joke.

To his credit, Xion smiled too.

“If you say so,” she laughed. There were a few more bundles of sticks in separate piles surrounding her, and she chose the most disorganized one to toss more tinder from.

Which seemed to be what the fire needed, judging by how it crackled a lot more happily and started to grow into something a little more substantial.

Lea, being the drama queen that he was, dropped to his knees and threw up his hands.

“The fire is saved!”

And Roxas, despite his mental commentary, was not exempt from the dramatics. He also threw his hands in the air.

“The fire is saved!” he echoed.

Xion rolled her eyes at both of them.

“All thanks to me. Where’s my reward?” she asked, hands on her hips as she tapped her bare foot against the sand.

Roxas hid a smile as he veered around the much less pitiful looking flame and grabbed the opened bag of marshmallows, digging out a handful—making sure to pop one in his mouth first—before dumping the rest in Xion’s waiting palms once she realized what he was up to.

“Marshmallow coma. You’re welcome.”

She lifted a foot to nudge his leg with sandy toes, lips pursed in faux annoyance.

“This is pathetic; you didn’t even offer me a graham cracker and some chocolate.”

“Well you have to roast the marshmallow first.”

“Ah yes, clearly I’m meant to stick my hands over the fire and slow cook them.”

“I dare you to,” Lea cackled from over the fire. Xion tossed one of the marshmallows at his face.

Lea, of course, only caught it in his mouth and laughed harder.

There was no reason to worry, however. Roxas had the perfect solution, and he plucked it out of the neater pile that was laid out over a blanket and separated farthest from the rest.

“Here,” he said, holding it out for her. “Your fork, knife and spoon all-in-one.”

Xion looked down at his hand and then back up to his face, a bland look crossing hers.

“Roxas, that’s a stick.”

Lea snorted loudly in the background.

“Take the stick, Xion,” Roxas replied, wiggling the stick in her face until she smacked it away.

“What else were you gonna roast marshmallows with?” Hayner chipped in with a lazy smirk as he, Pence and Olette wandered over almost as if on cue from the mention of marshmallows. “Your fingers?”

“Nah, I was thinking _your_ fingers actually,” Xion rolled her eyes, grabbing the stick from Roxas and stabbing a marshmallow onto the end of it. Hayner flinched and crossed his arms, sticking his hands under his armpits protectively. Pence and Olette burst into laughter at the sight. All three of them had spent the past half-hour playing around in the water while Roxas and Lea picked over what was supposed to pass as a bonfire, what with Naminé and Xion bringing over the sticks and tinder they needed in small bundles. They both had gotten enough of the waves when the group first arrived at the beach, what with Lea being too excited over the fire and Roxas not being in the mood to get wet yet.

“I don’t think you’d want to use Hayner’s fingers, Xi,” Roxas joked. “You don’t know where they’ve been.”

“Up yours,” Hayner responded, alongside two raised middle fingers. Xion wrinkled her nose.

“Well now I do know where they’ve been.”

“No, that’s not what I—” Hayner started, though he was cut off by the amount of teasing, obnoxious laughter he was met with.

“Dude, you probably shouldn’t put your fingers up Roxas’ _anything_,” Pence started.

“Now that’s just not nice, Hayner. Did you at least buy him flowers first?” There went Olette.

“And chocolate. You have to set the mood,” Naminé tittered quietly.

“Guys, I’m pretty sure he’d only let Sora do that anyway,” Lea finished with a smirk.

Roxas, for his part, was torn between the hilarity of his friends’ comments and the repelled grimace on Xion’s face.

“I hate you guys,” Hayner sighed.

“You love us,” Roxas chuckled, bumping his shoulder against Xion’s playfully when she stuck her tongue out and pretended to gag.

“I don’t want to think about where Sora’s putting his fingers when it comes to Roxas either.”

“If it helps,” Roxas added. He was interrupted with a bland “it doesn’t” but continued anyway. “We haven’t gotten around to him putting his fingers in m—”

“No! Nope! I’m stopping you there!” Xion cried out, placing her hands over Roxas’ mouth. Or at least trying to when he grabbed her arms and held her at bay.

“I’m surprised you didn’t invite Sora to come with, honestly,” Pence shrugged, laughing.

“I mean, we haven’t even met the guy!” Lea pitched in. A chorus of agreement sounded off behind him and Roxas sighed and ran his hand over his face.

“Guys, his life doesn’t revolve around me. He’s doing his weekly movie night with his friends.” It was actually funny though that Pence brought this up, considering Sora had invited Roxas to join in on movie night. He’d declined in hopes of making up lost time with his own friends, but now that Roxas thought about it…

He’d seemed more interested in spending that time with Roxas than he was in the movie. Roxas had told him to spend that time with his friends and Sora had muttered something under his breath that Roxas hadn’t put much thought towards. Thinking back on it, he was somewhat positive that Sora had wanted Roxas there _with_ him and his friends, but…

Well…

Hmm.

It wasn’t really about the movie night, was it? Maybe he was looking for the same thing Roxas was? A way to integrate his soulmate into his normal life instead mentally compartmentalizing all of their interactions.

Which meant Roxas was overthinking this. Again.

Goddamn.

“I get the feeling you’re being so quiet because you just figured something out?” Xion asked, pulling her arms out of Roxas’ hands to nudge his shoulder.

“Yeah, that I’m being dumb,” Roxas laughed sheepishly. Digging his phone out of his pocket, he stepped away from the rest of his friends for a bit of privacy and swiped it open with the intent of asking Sora and his friends to come join Roxas’ group…just as it buzzed with a text message. Blinking in surprise at the name that flashed across the screen, Roxas shrugged it off as a coincidence and opened the text.

Well, almost did, considering how Xion, who must’ve followed him considering she had no self-control and somehow felt the compelling need to be in Roxas’ business all of a sudden, was leaning over his phone so far that her nose nearly pressed against it.

“Butt out, nosy,” he griped, nudging her back. She only giggled mischievously as she straightened up. “Go keep the rest of the goonies from getting arrested or something.”

Xion glanced back at them and then at Roxas before snorting out a skeptical “I’ll try” as she wandered back.

They were gathered around the fire now, previous inquiries about Sora forgotten, chanting some song or other—Roxas couldn’t be bothered to figure that one out. They’d always been kinda weird, after all.

In a good way, of course.

Rolling his eyes fondly at them, he finally read the message, er, _messages_ Sora had sent him.

**Sora**: _Hey_

**Sora**: _You busy?_

Blinking in surprise, Roxas chewed on his lip as he texted back. He hadn’t expected Sora to _not_ be busy. Tonight was supposed to be movie night, after all.

**Me**: _Sort of, yeah. We’re doing a bonfire on the beach_

**Sora**: _A bonfire?_

The words lingered on the tips of Roxas’ fingers, ready to extend the invitation. Hoping that Sora’s texts meant that he was okay with his movie night being interrupted. Roxas was spitballing here. He couldn’t just expect Sora to be integrated more into his life if he didn’t _try_. If he never reached out, he’d never have that normalcy he so wanted with his soulmate.

So, he reached out.

**Me**: _Yeah, you wanna come?_

It felt like his gut twisted and squeezed all at once as he typed, culminating into nervous flutters when he hit send. It felt weird to be so cautious of someone so easy-going, but Roxas couldn’t help it. This was all so _new_.

It was worth it in the end, though, when he quickly received an answer.

**Sora**: _Sure I do!_ _If you want me to_

‘Of course I want you to’ hung on the screen, ready to send, before Roxas wondered if that sounded too desperate. He’d go for something safer then.

**Me**: _Yeah._ _I want you to meet my friends_

There. That didn’t sound too bad.

Although… Roxas glanced up at his favorite band of dorks, dancing around in front of the fire to the song they were still chanting like a bunch of lunatics. Except Naminé who was seated in the sand, mourning her burnt-to-a-crisp marshmallow. He wondered what Sora would think of them.

**Sora**: _I’d love to meet your friends!_

He took a picture of them and sent it in hopes that Sora would understand what he was about to get himself into.

**Me**: _But do you really :/_

**Sora**: _Lol Roxas I’m sure they’re great people_

**Sora**: _I’m gonna bring Riku and Kairi with me. I want you to meet my friends too_

Ah. That was gonna be interesting. Roxas had learned about Kairi and Riku in bits and pieces through conversations with Sora. He knew the more mundane facts like how they’d known each other since childhood and how Sora and Kairi both taught kindergarten and how Riku was Sora’s roommate until his parents gave him his childhood home and moved into the city. Miscellaneous things like how Sora and Riku used to practice swordsmanship and settle all their disputes with races on the beach (which would explain how his legs were in such good shape, but Roxas was going to stop that train of thought there) or how Kairi used to make him good luck charms out of Thalassa shells.

This all faded into the background of thought as the biggest detail came to the forefront of Roxas’ mind.

They were both alphas. And even though they were just friends with Sora, they were likely to be incredibly protective over him regardless. Roxas knew this for a fact; before Xion and Naminé had bonded, he and every other alpha in his friend group used to growl at anyone who so much as _looked_ at Naminé wrong. Even after the bonding, they were apt to look out for her when Xion couldn’t.

Which, in the end, meant Roxas was likely in for the shovel talk of his life.

He could handle it, though…he hoped. Regardless of how they felt about him, they couldn’t change what he and Sora were to each other. Or what they wanted to be. And, overprotectiveness aside, there wasn’t really anything they could do to scare Roxas off.

So he was sincere when he sent his next text.

**Me**: _Can’t wait_

Bring it on. He put up with Seifer and his goons for years, he could handle a little heat from Sora’s friends.

Then again, Seifer was a beta who just got a lucky growth spurt long before Roxas and his friends hit theirs. But still!

Oh boy…he was actually a little nervous.

“Everything alright in the peanut gallery?” someone—Pence, it sounded like—shouted over at him.

“He’s got that look on his face like he just did something bad, so probably not,” Xion joked.

“Do we need to get the squirt gun, Roxas?” Lea followed up with, because of course he’d drag this out.

“Might as well. He already put himself in time-out.” And there was Hayner.

Roxas shoved his phone in his pocket and flipped them the bird—with both hands, of course, just out of love—before shouting back at them.

“You asshats got what you wanted! Sora’s joining us!”

He was met with whooping and hollering and someone—he was pretty sure this was also Hayner—was making obnoxious kissy sounds, and Roxas could only roll his eyes and shake his head at their antics. What else did he expect? Though, he supposed, he should’ve been especially glad that they reacted so positively. He didn’t know what he’d do if they had a problem with Sora and his friends joining in. Not that he expected them to, but still.

It was more than a little heartwarming when he really thought about it. For as much mental turmoil as he’d put himself through over this, he was glad that his friends were right there to cheer him on the whole time. Even now when things were running smoother, he really appreciated the positivity he was surrounded by.

It helped soothe the nerves too. A little.

Not that they didn’t return in full force when Roxas finally heard the crunch of sand beneath three pairs of feet behind him. It’d only taken a few minutes, but he supposed he should’ve figured. Sora and both of his friends certainly lived close enough that a stroll down the beach wouldn’t take more than a few minutes.

Turning to face them took an odd mixture of quelled giddiness and sharp, incessant worry. The sort where he had to force himself not to fidget or grimace. The sort where, when he did turn, it took a moment before he could look each of them in the eyes, feeling oddly out of place now that this was happening. In the midst of dating Sora, Roxas had been so focused on him that he hadn’t even considered what it’d be like meeting him in such a crowded atmosphere, what with his own friends behind him watching the exchange and Sora’s friends at either side of him, staring at Roxas and waiting for him to make the first move.

Sora, for his part, looked as laid back and casual as he could get: hands behind his head, dressed in his usual shorts and tank top with a lazy smile on his face. On his left, a tall, silver haired alpha—Riku, Roxas assumed—stood with his hands in his pockets and a neutral expression that, _somehow_, almost came across as judgmental. Maybe it was the more critical look in his eyes when Roxas met them, as if he was trying to see through him. On Sora’s right, a shorter alpha with cherry red hair stood with her hands on her hips—wait.

He recognized her. Both her face and her scent.

“Oh!” Roxas blinked in surprise at the redhead. “Hey, you’re…”

“Yeah,” She—Kairi nodded in affirmation. “I owe you a kick in the ‘nads for making Sora wait for two days. I’ve never seen him mope that hard.”

Yikes.

That did accomplish making him feel worse about his two-day self-pity fest in the hotel though. He didn’t realize that he’d affected Sora that way. He looked to Sora with an apology on his lips before Kairi cut him off.

“But! I’ve also never seen him as happy as he’s been for the past couple days. So I’ll put a raincheck on that kick,” she continued.

“Just make sure it stays that way,” Riku added. “You don’t want _me_ to kick you. _Trust me_.”

Roxas made sure to take that to heart.

Besides, he wasn’t looking for a fight. And he’d take their statements as approval and leave it at that, glad that there wouldn’t be one. It wouldn’t do to go picking fights with Sora’s friends anyway. Soulmates or not, that’d just cause issues.

“Geez, you guys couldn’t even let me say hi?” Sora sighed, rolling his eyes as he dropped his hands from behind his head to instead step up and wrap them around Roxas. He earned an automatic hug in return as Roxas found the warmth of his body and the honey sweetness of his scent relaxing. He all but oozed into those tan arms.

“Hi,” he greeted in return, touching the tip of his nose to Sora’s before burying it against his scent gland, just over his mark.

“Don’t let Riku and Kairi scare you, by the way. They’re easy to get along with…well, _Kairi_ is—”

“Hey!” Riku complained from behind him.

“And I think they like you anyway. At least based on what I’ve told them,” Sora finished, laughing.

“Yeah, from as much as he gushed about you after your dates, I figured you couldn’t be that bad. And you _did_ seem pretty determined to find him that one day…” Kairi added. Roxas grimaced at the reminder, knowing for a fact that he’d have floundered and even possibly faltered if he hadn’t received a verbal push from his dad.

“I’m am sorry about taking so long to do that, you know,” he mumbled against Sora’s skin.

“It’s okay. I mean, it’s not like you didn’t have your own problems to worry about,” Sora shrugged lightly, gripping the back of Roxas’ shirt with one hand while the other smoothed over the hair on the back of his head. He melted instantly into the feeling.

That didn’t stop him from protesting though.

“It’s not okay. I shouldn’t have left you hanging like that.”

“Roxas…” Sora pulled back a bit to look him in the eyes. “What’s done is done. I’d rather focus on the now anyway. Like you meeting my friends and me meeting yours… Us hanging out on the beach, maybe plan another date…”

All so tempting. And a much better mindset to fall into. He was right; the now was so much more important than what had come to pass on the way to it.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “That sounds good.”

He looked to Riku and Kairi next, arms still wrapped loosely around Sora.

“Threats to my family jewels aside, it is nice to meet you two.”

“Likewise,” Kairi smiled. “Officially, at least. It’s nice to be able to put a face to the name.”

“And the scent,” Riku added, jokingly (Roxas hoped, at least) plugging his nose. “I know more about you than I need to just from _Sora_.”

“Way to be subtle, Riku,” Sora snorted.

“About as subtle as you drenched in his scent every day.”

“Okay, I’m going to stop this conversation here because I really don’t want to think about that,” Kairi, thankfully, cut in. Roxas was sure his face was bright red from how it’d heated up at Riku’s implications. He didn’t even really think about it…which, he supposed, was mindless of him considering how much of a stink his friends made about Sora’s scent on him.

He wasn’t going to apologize for it. But he couldn’t quite help being a little embarrassed at being called out for it. The part of him, the alpha instincts, that preened at the idea of Sora being “drenched” in his scent couldn’t quite break past the natural wall of awkward that Roxas had built up over the course of his entire adolescence.

So instead he buried his face in Sora’s neck again and sighed, earning another session of pats on the back of his head.

“Leave him alone, you guys.”

“I’m surprised you aren’t as red as a tomato too. You always used to get blushy over your past crushes,” Riku said.

“Roxas isn’t just a crush though…”

Holy hell if that didn’t put butterfly flutters in Roxas’ stomach. The happy, gushy, gooey ones that he used to sneer at for being cliché. The sort that was usually followed by a sappy, heartfelt “I love you”. Was it too soon for that? Probably. But Roxas had the feeling he’d be saying it eventually, once their bond had been given time to grow, and it was comments like Sora’s that gave him the feeling it would be said back to him in time as well.

“You’re a sap,” Riku replied, knocking a fist lightly against the back of Sora’s head. Roxas’ arm moved automatically in response, before he’d even registered that he’d moved, to cup the tufts of hair and stroke a thumb over the spot Riku had rapped. There was a content smile in Sora’s voice when he responded.

“I’ll take being a sap. Besides, this coming from the guy who’s been staring goopily at his computer every time Mystery Guy so much as messages a hello?”

The vindication Roxas felt at Riku’s face flushing as he turned away was more than worth this entire exchange. Even Kairi laughed at him.

“He has you there,” she chuckled.

“Haha, yeah whatever. You’re not much better off with the missus,” he snarked back, prompting Kairi’s face to flush pink.

“I think I’m allowed to be goopy with my wife! Leave me alone!”

“_Sap_,” both Sora and Riku intoned in tandem, and even Roxas couldn’t help laughing.

“Ugh! You two are ridiculous!” Though she didn’t seem all that incensed considering the fond smile that’d slipped through her irate façade. “I thought we came here to tease _Sora_, not me!”

“Wow, Kairi, tell me how you really feel,” Sora chuckled. He slipped out of Roxas’ arms finally, though he didn’t step back very far. Worked for Roxas. He liked being close to Sora.

He supposed that was the understatement of the century at this point, but whatever. Still true.

“If it makes you feel better,” Roxas added, leaving his fingers wrapped around Sora’s and squeezing them with humor. “You’re not the only one who’s been teased over this.”

It was accompanied with an exasperated eyeroll and Sora, Riku and Kairi all looked behind Roxas to find the source of said teasing. Probably still watching because they were all nosy like that.

“Weren’t they supposed to be dancing around the fire or something?” Riku snorted. Roxas raised an eyebrow at Sora.

“Yeah, they were looking over my shoulder when you texted me,” Sora shrugged sheepishly.

Ah well. Nothing to be done about that.

“Yeah, I guess they decided to act normal for a few minutes. Besides, once the sugar leaves their systems they’re all gonna crash anyway.”

“Sugar?” Kairi asked.

“Yeah, we bought like seven bags of the big marshmallows. It was probably a bad idea in hindsight. But at least we’re set for s’mores.”

Roxas jerked a thumb behind him, looking at Riku and Kairi.

“If you guys want some, go for it. We brought enough to feed an army, so you might as well.”

Thankfully, they got the hint. And it wasn’t as if his friends would mind sharing.

“Don’t spend all night making out over here,” Riku said, smirking and dodging when Sora swiped at him.

“Are you two ever gonna give it a rest?” Sora sighed.

“I know I’m not. You guys gave me an earful for three months straight when I started dating my mate,” Kairi shrugged, giggling and pulling Riku away when Sora pouted at her.

“I guess she has a point, but…” he mumbled, stopping when Roxas leaned forward to bump his nose against Sora’s again.

“Don’t worry about it. It’ll get old eventually and then you can move on to teasing Riku about his mystery guy.”

“You have a point too,” Sora laughed. “How’s it been on your end?”

“They won’t shut up, it’s ridiculous.”

Granted, Roxas’ friends weren’t too obnoxious about it. But he had the feeling they weren’t going to let him forget this past week for a _long_ time.

“Like you said, it’ll get old eventually,” Sora grinned, pulling a smile out of Roxas as well. His fingers threaded through Roxas’ where their hands were joined, squeezing back just as tightly.

“I was surprised you came over, honestly. Thought you’d stick with your usual plans,” Roxas murmured, minding how the atmosphere had changed now it was just the two of them.

“I thought about it, but well… Riku and Kairi wanted to meet you and I wasn’t gonna turn down a chance to spend time with you.”

For all their time spent together, all their nights shared, all the touches they’ve shared, Roxas wasn’t sure anything sent a blanket of warmth over his skin the way Sora’s words had. It was so mundane, the thought that Sora would want to spend time with him. And yet it was special.

“I’m glad.”

Sora smiled and nodded, opening his mouth to respond before his gaze shifted over Roxas’ shoulder. Figured this would happen eventually. He knew one of two people must’ve gotten impatient enough to wander over to them.

“Okay, which one is standing behind me? The idiot or the tree?” he asked. It earned him a flick on the side of his head, which only prompted him to place his palm protectively over the spot, laughing.

“Hi, nice to meet you,” a telling voice greeted. “Name’s Lea…the resident _tree_.”

Sora laughed as well, reaching out to shake Lea’s hand.

“Sora. Nice to meet you too.”

“Oh, we know who you are,” Lea laughed. Roxas elbowed him before he could continue with something embarrassing…which he did anyway. “If Roxas hadn’t already run off with you somewhere, he could instead be found sighing at the window like a forlorn waif.”

“Shut up, I did not!”

“_Oh Sora, wherefore art thou?_” Lea sighed jokingly.

“That doesn’t mean ‘where’, you dick!”

“_Come back to me so we may proliferate like bunnies!_”

“That definitely doesn’t—you’re doing that on purpose, aren’t you?”

“Is it annoying you yet?”

Considering how much Roxas wanted to wipe that grin off Lea’s face, yeah.

“_You_ annoy me,” Roxas quipped. “Go away.”

Sora, for his part, was nearly doubled over laughing. Which, of course, only egged Lea on now that he had an audience.

“Nonsense. Trees can’t go anywhere.”

“Oh my fucking god,” Roxas muttered under his breath before tugging Sora’s hand to pull him away. “C’mon. Lea’s only tolerable in small doses.”

From what it looked like, Sora’s friends had already started hitting it off with Roxas’. Kairi was locked in a conversation with Pence and Olette, what with Hayner staring over at Sora, Roxas and Lea because he too was incredibly nosy, while Riku sat by the fire with Naminé and Xion.

“I take offense to that,” Lea griped as Hayner perked up, catching the attention of the other three in their little circle.

“Ah, we finally get to meet the legend,” Pence said as the approached, a tone in his voice not unlike how one might’ve discussed the seven wonders with a flashlight positioned under their face.

“Nice to meet you, Sora!” Olette greeted, giggling at Pence’s words.

“Figured I’d be able to pick you out in a crowd,” Hayner joked, rubbing under his nose.

This time it was Sora blushing at the implicit comment.

“Wow,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “I didn’t think we were _that_ bad.”

“Nah, we should be thanking you. You know how long it’s been since this nerd’s gotten laid?” Hayner snorted, pointing at Roxas and earning a middle finger in return. As well as an elbow in the side from Olette.

“_What Hayner means to say_, is that it’s been a while since we’ve seen Roxas this happy. So we _are_ thankful.”

“That too…”

“I think that’s a special trait of Sora’s,” Kairi added with a proud smile. “He’s good at keeping spirits up, no matter who he’s dealing with.”

“Can you spread some of that good cheer to Roxas?” Hayner asked with a sly grin. “He’s got a bad case of permanent dipshit face.”

“Better than permanent dipshit brain,” Roxas shot back.

“Can you guys stop being two-year-olds for five seconds?” Olette griped. Pence grinned and held his arms out, as if presenting the display.

“You’re gonna have to put up with this, though,” he told Sora.

Which was true, when Roxas thought about it. Starting this with Sora meant that all his baggage came with him, the good and the bad. And though he didn’t consider his friends a bad part of the package, he knew their bickering could drive people up a wall. It certainly always had with his parents, still did with his dad, and was a good reason he often ended up in trouble during his school days.

Thankfully, judging by his laughter, Sora didn’t seem to mind.

“It’s alright. Kairi and Riku bicker just as much anyway.”

“Do not!”

“She starts it.” Riku’s voice floated over. Looking over, Roxas noticed that Lea had joined the group over there, all four of them sitting in a circle around a bowl of marshmallows.

“You start it too,” Sora quipped, looking over the group and their stash before turning to Roxas. “You guys do actually have the rest of the ingredients for s’mores, right?”

Roxas was cut off before he could answer.

“Indeed we do!” Hayner said as he and Pence pulled out a packs of chocolate bars from Pence’s backpack, waving them as if they were fans. Olette, rolling her eyes, sifted through the contents of the backpack as well before pulling out a box of graham crackers.

“We’ve got plenty extra if you guys want some. Even though it looks like Lea and Xion are hogging the marshmallows, we’ve got more of those too.”

“I do not hog marshmallows,” Lea argued through a mouthful of marshmallow. Xion nodded along even though her cheeks were so full that she couldn’t speak.

Naminé, despite not being accused of anything, simply shrugged and shook her head.

“I’m not part of this,” she said.

“Guilty by association,” Pence snorted, earning a tart look from Naminé, as if she’d bitten into a lemon.

“There’s more marshmallows in the bag,” Roxas pointed out to Sora, opting to ignore the antics. He and Sora sat down in front of the bonfire, Roxas motioning towards the bag for the pack of marshmallows, as well as the graham crackers and chocolate.

It was the sort of atmosphere he’d hoped for. Cheerful, relaxed, familiar and comfortable. The air filled with the sounds of fire crackling and bags crinkling. Laughter and chatter and fun. Sticks were passed around to roast the marshmallows with, and all ten of the group ended up sticky in some way, be it covered in marshmallow or covered in chocolate. Sora was pressed against Roxas’ side, head tucked into the crook of Roxas’ neck as he munched on his s’more and talked with the group. Answered questions about what he did, what he liked, what his village was like, etcetera. Asked questions about Twilight Town that Roxas hadn’t already answered, or about their friendship or even about their vacation. Kairi and Riku had fit well enough into the group that it felt as if they’d always been there. Everyone clicked. It was…

Well, it was perfect. So much so that Roxas could barely distinguish it from just any other day, meeting up with friends. If anything, that’s what it _was_. Just with a few new additions.

There was still something so _new_ about Sora’s scent drifting to his nose, sweet and summery and mixed in almost naturally with Roxas’, but it was hard to be distracted by. It was new, but it was familiar now as well. A part of Roxas now.

He came to a decision then; one that he hadn’t known needed to be made until right that moment. Everyone was still locked in conversation, and he figured it was as good as any a time to do this. Roxas tapped Sora’s shoulder, bumping his nose against the top of his head. Only speaking when he had Sora’s attention.

“Hey, c’mon,” Roxas said quietly, nodding his head towards the water.

“Hmm?”

“Wanna go for a walk?”

Sora blinked in question for a second before understanding crossed his face. Grabbing Roxas’ hand again, he stood and brushed the sand off his shorts and they started for the shoreline. Mercifully, no one commented even when a few of their friends turned their heads to acknowledge them leaving.

It was a few minutes of walking along the beach, water calmly slowing back and forth over their feet where they stepped, enjoying the evening in silence before one of them finally spoke.

“Sora, this…” Roxas trailed off, taking the image of Sora in. Glowing golden in the dim sunlight, expression open and accepting; sure with the smile that adorned his face. Everything about him invited Roxas in, from the pleasant sweetness of his scent, delightfully mixed in with Roxas’ own, to the serenity in those strikingly blue eyes. The way his hand still clung to Roxas’, lightly and casually as if all of _this_ was just…normal.

By all means, it was. It was now, but…

It was still so outstanding in Roxas’ mind. How naturally the pieces fell into place. How natural it was with Sora.

How…unnatural.

“This soulmates thing is kinda creepy when you think about it, isn’t it? No control over who it is and fate suddenly decides you need this person like you need air.”

Of course, he blurted out something like that in the least suave way he possibly could. It wasn’t even what he’d meant to say, but…

Sora’s hand squeezed around Roxas’ lightly as he laughed.

“Yeah, I used to think that too. Like, imagine if your soulmate turned out to be some crazy axe murderer.”

“Thanks, Sora, that’s exactly what I needed to hear.”

His laugh was louder this time, echoing across the sand and out into the night like a jovial tune.

“But I also look at it this way. We’re supposed to click with our soulmate instantly, right? So maybe that person who ended up with a crazy axe murderer for a soulmate is a crazy chainsaw murderer themselves.”

“You’re not making this better—”

“Shut up, Roxas, I am too!”

This time Roxas joined in with the giggle fit they’d landed themselves in. Despite the extreme example, Sora made his point. They clicked. They wouldn’t be here holding hands and laughing in the moonlight on the beach if they hadn’t. They wouldn’t be talking and touching so casually after only having known each other for a week if they hadn’t. The more…unpleasant implications behind being someone’s soulmate aside, Roxas appreciated that he could have this at all with Sora. That their ‘dating phase’ wasn’t however many days of staring awkwardly at each other while trying to figure out their common interests before eventually, _finally_ settling on a conversation they could be comfortable with. None of that ‘am I allowed to hold his or her hand’ or ‘would it be weird to scoot closer’ or ‘am I overstepping if I put my arm around them’. Roxas didn’t even think about being close to Sora; it was as easy as breathing.

It’d certainly make figuring out everything else a bit easier in the long run.

“Well, I’m glad you aren’t a crazy axe murderer—”

“And I’m glad you aren’t a crazy chainsaw murderer!”

Roxas bumped his shoulder against Sora’s lightly, rolling his eyes at the interruption and subsequent laughter.

“And I guess, as far as soulmates go, you’re not the worst choice,” he teased. Sora bumped his hip against Roxas’ in response, mirroring the look that had just been on Roxas’ face save the bright smile that ruined it.

“Back at ya,” he said.

“Seriously though. All this stuff about soulmates and…and everything else aside. I’m glad I met you.”

He was. Despite all the craziness that led up to this moment, Roxas wouldn’t trade it for anything. He didn’t know what he’d be doing now if he’d declined going on this trip. If he’d stayed home and worked and took care of Jesse, not bothering to go out and experience life without his friends there. If he’d stayed at the hotel or sucked it up and went out with everyone, ending up in some corner with his nose plugged while everyone else had fun. If he’d never gone out in that storm…

Everything leading up to this had all been so needlessly complicated and their relationship was just beginning. He wondered if he should’ve questioned whether or not it was all worth it, but he couldn’t bring himself to. He couldn’t see a future without Sora in it. And, looking at the mark on his neck again, still proudly on display, he didn’t want a future without his mate.

“Sora…”

“Hmm?”

He squeezed Sora’s hand tighter, taking a deep breath.

“I don’t want to go.”

“…Back home, you mean?”

“Yeah.” He thought about this ending. Not having moments with Sora like this anymore. It made his chest tight. “I don’t think I can leave this behind.”

“Are you…not going back then?”

There was a spark of hope in Sora’s voice at that question that settled Roxas’ resolve.

“I have to. There’re too many loose ends that I’ve gotta tie up first. But when I’m done…” He turned to look Sora in the eyes then, finding a reflection of the swirl of emotions within him shining in them. “I’m coming back. To stay.”

Sora’s hand squeezed his back.

“Happy to hear it.”

A smile found it way to Roxas’ lips, grateful and relieved, and it widened when Sora leaned in to press a kiss to them. Chaste and sweet, only parted the barest hint so that their foreheads were pressed together and their breaths were shared.

“Thank you.”

“No need to thank me,” Sora chuckled. “I should be thanking you. I know I told you to go, but I’ve been kinda dreading the day you leave.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be right back.” His bank account would not be happy with him for it—it was one hell of an expensive move after all and he’d probably have to take up another job to make up the difference. He didn’t mind though. It’d be so, so worth it.

But he had to make sure of something first.

“Okay but there’s one thing…”

Sora tilted his head up to raise an eyebrow at Roxas.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“When I come back, my cat comes with me.”

-o-o-o-o-

In the end, he’d gone home with everyone else. Spent a good amount of time discussing the move with them, thankful for the support they gave. Thankful that Xion and Lea helped him pack and get himself together. Thankful that his dad was open to the idea, even offering to help him pay the moving expenses. His only request being that Roxas bring Sora to Twilight Town some time so that his dad could meet him properly. A request Roxas was more than happy to fulfill. Thankful that he didn’t have to quit any jobs or halt any projects or inconvenience anyone. Ready to leave within two weeks of being back. Roxas knew he’d miss Twilight Town, miss his dad, miss his friends once he left.

But being away from his bond mate was like the other half of his heart was missing. Still back on Destiny Islands.

It’d hurt, being back at that airport. Hugging everyone goodbye. Everyone was crying, including him, and a good number of people walked by giving their group odd looks. No matter. It was a few minutes delay but it was worth it. Besides, it wasn’t as if he’d never see them again. He’d be sure to visit whenever he could, and he knew they would visit him when they could. Hayner had even winked at him, reminding him of their conversation on the beach that one afternoon and how it was a good excuse for everyone to go back to the islands again. He’d laughed and hugged them all one last time, especially his dad. His dad had people to keep him company, even with his mate gone and his son moving away, and Roxas knew he wouldn’t have to worry.

And, after a long flight that left him exhausted and achy and a taxi ride from the airport to that familiar resort, he found himself following a familiar trail to a familiar village just off the beach. Found his retraced steps leading him to a little porch with a red door and a Mickey Mouse welcome mat. He knocked on the door barely twice before it was yanked open and Roxas was greeted with a bright, relieved and happy smile. Sora welcomed him in with open arms and a warm, tight hug.

He never regretted that decision. He was finally _home_.


	7. Epilogue 1

Living in Destiny Islands was…interesting to say the least.

For one, you wouldn’t think there was a whole lot to do on such a tiny island in such a tiny village, but there was always _something_. Roxas learned that being part of the community meant no one was uncomfortable with or averse to asking for help. _No one_.

Roxas found himself with more chores in the few weeks he’d been living on the islands than he had in an entire lifetime so far in Twilight Town.

Not that he minded, really. Sora had told him repeatedly that he could always say no, and he _knew_ that.

But it also made him feel bad, so he usually didn’t.

They were simple things anyway. Yard work stuff, or something that needed fixing in someone’s house, or even being invited over to keep someone’s grandma company that one time. Nothing that really interfered with his work or his time with Sora, but it certainly kept him from being bored. Plus, most of the people who asked usually paid him so it was extra munny in his pocket anyway.

Besides, there were plenty of things to do for fun on the islands too. The resort aside, sometimes he and Sora took trips into the city to visit his parents or his sister and despite the expectations that the villages set, the city was probably larger than Radiant Garden and Twilight Town combined.

It was more than a little mindblowing the first time Roxas had seen it. Sora was nice enough to only laugh at him a little bit.

Speaking of, Roxas learned quite a few things about Sora along the way.

The first and foremost was his weird ass sleep schedule.

For being someone who loved sleep so much, he was a stickler for waking up at the crack of dawn. It didn’t disturb Roxas, but he found himself getting used to it anyway as he generally woke up when Sora did. Besides, it was likely a routine for when he was back to work. While he handled his bills over the summer with munny saved up (considering, and these were his words, “I don’t do shit anyway so what’s there to spend it on”) he did eventually have to go back to work to keep himself up for the rest of the year. And he was lucky enough to be living in a fully paid off house, courtesy of his parents, and in a village that didn’t demand much of its residents, so their bills weren’t exactly wallet draining in the first place.

That tidbit had…helped, considering how much dough Roxas had spent on moving.

But either way, Sora waking up early was a schedule that they found themselves sticking to, which meant Roxas had to get up at the crack of dawn as well.

He wasn’t a morning person.

Sora didn’t seem to mind, though. He absolutely was a morning person, and it showed when he’d all but pranced into the shower and then skipped downstairs to start breakfast.

And when Roxas was all washed up and had followed him down, he found Sora humming to the music playing from his phone as he started a pot of coffee and worked on what looked like pancake batter.

It was there that the second interesting tidbit about Sora came in. Guy could cook. Like, _seriously_ cook.

When the food was finished and shoveled on to two plates, all shimmering with cheesy eggs and sizzling sausages and the fluffiest pancakes Roxas had ever seen, he was half-certain he’d just ended up as the taste tester on some professional cooking show.

And when he tried it? It was like Roxas had just taken a fork and stuck a piece of heaven into his mouth.

It wasn’t as if he didn’t know how to feed himself, and both of his parents had insisted Roxas learn how to cook before he moved out, but he knew he’d never reach this level. Eating Sora’s food was…an experience, to say the least.

A really, _really_ damn good one.

It certainly made experiencing the rest of the day better. It’d started out with them simply spending time together, wrapped up in each other’s arms or with Sora tucked under Roxas’ while he worked (as he didn’t have the luxury of a grade school length summer vacation), and then going out on dates during the evening. They’d still very much been in the dating phase at that point and had milked it for all it was worth.

When school started up again, breakfast led into kisses goodbye as Sora gathered everything he needed and headed off for the elementary school building. Close enough to walk to—though it was still a long walk—which meant there was no need for any vehicles.

Roxas was sure he’d never walked as much as he had on Destiny Islands in his entire life.

It kept him in shape, at the very least. Though he might’ve missed the trams…just a little bit.

In the long run, it meant that if Roxas had anywhere to go, he could take his time getting there. Most of the time he stayed at home and worked. Occasionally he wandered to the library with his laptop and worked there instead. It was tiny, only one floor and barely a quarter of the size of his old hangout back home, and it smelled like sea salt and wood, but the atmosphere was chill and quiet and that was all Roxas really needed.

If he spent the day there, he’d take the time out to go to the elementary school and wait for Sora to finish work, and then they’d walk home together, hand in hand. Sometimes Kairi, also being a kindergarten teacher, accompanied them until she reached her own house where her wife, who usually got in just before her, waited with a warm smile and friendly waves to Sora and Roxas.

If they felt like it, they’d spend the rest of the evening on the beach. Sometimes they played in the water, sometimes they sat in the sand. Their favorite spot was the rock structure where they met, and they were maybe guilty of curling up behind it and making out until sunset forced them back home.

They’d get settled in and Sora would get dinner started unless he was too tired to cook, in which case Roxas would handle the food instead, and then they cuddle up in the living room and watch tv until it was time for bed. Maybe they’d decided whether or not to continue where they’d left off from behind those rocks.

It was in moments like those that Roxas learned, or relearned he supposed, just how healthy Sora’s libido was. Even with summer over and the school season back, he often found time after he got home and somewhere between writing up lesson plans (“but they have to be fun, because five year olds only like their alphabets when they’re covered in paint and possibly mud”) and figuring out how to practically and professionally grade his students’ classwork without just giving them all gold stars (“they’re all too cute and I hate making them sad”) to pull Roxas into bed. Not that Roxas wasn’t going to join him willingly, hell it was usually enthusiastically, but it still sometimes blindsided him. Sora gave off the strangest aura of innocence under normal circumstances, and he couldn’t for the life of him pull off being intentionally sexy.

Despite that, all it took was a slow, steady removal of clothing, a languid stretch across the bed, a teasing smile, an excited glint in his eyes, a wiggle of a supple butt in the air to get Roxas going.

An offer that was impossible to refuse.

Which was how they’d found themselves rolling around on the sheets, making out passionately, exploring every familiar dip and curve, every heated expanse of skin, in hopes of working one another up. A palm would slide down the length of Roxas’ front, fingers teasingly brushing over a nipple, sliding over the hills of every muscle, dragging almost torturously over the trail of blond hair before wrapping around his cock and stroking slowly. He’d pull every shiver, every moan, every sigh out of Roxas, lips pressed to whatever skin he could reach. A tongue swiping over Roxas’ pulse, teeth grazing his collarbone, lips pressed against his throat, sealed tight as Sora sucked a patch of red over the now constant tan Roxas sported since moving. He’d roll his hips against Roxas’ in hopes of finding that friction he always so desperately craved, groaning when Roxas returned the attention. Shuddering when Roxas’ tongue swiped along the shell of his ear, when Roxas’ lips trailed along his jaw, when Roxas’ teeth sunk into the soft, sweet skin at the junction of his neck and shoulder. Gasping when Roxas’ fingers slipped between them, sliding gently and lightly down the underside of his length, over his sack and then between his legs until they settled between his cheeks. Feeling the slick there as he rubbed the pad of his finger over the hole before slowly pressing it inside. Carefully, knowing that a Sora out of heat wouldn’t appreciate being treated roughly.

At least, not before they got into the swing of things.

Roxas pressed his lips against Sora’s again, messily and sloppily as he sucked Sora’s tongue into his mouth while he fingered him. Another finger found its way in, curling and searching until Sora jerked and moaned, and Roxas played with his sweet spot until he was shaking. The hand around him stopped, squeezing at the base where his knot had formed, and Roxas figured that was enough foreplay. They’d end up too worked up if they kept it up for too long.

Pulling his fingers out with a satisfying squelch, Roxas kissed him one more time before lifting himself up so that Sora could turn over, presenting a smooth back and a perky ass, glistening with a streak of slick across one of the cheeks that Roxas was tempted to lick up. He reeled himself in before he did, though. He’d spend half the evening with his face buried in Sora’s ass if let himself get carried away. Neither of them really had that patience for that.

He took only a small moment to dig a condom out of the bedside drawer and roll it on before _finally_ sinking inside that delectable slick heat.

It would start gentle. Sora would be pressed against the bed, fingers curled into the sheets and face turned to the side so that their eyes met. And Roxas would look straight into them, rolling his hips leisurely and smirking when Sora whined. He kept it at a slow, even pace, barely pulling out before thrusting back in. Knowing that his movement was rocking Sora against the mattress, stimulating him in the front as well. It certainly sent tingles down his spine, feeling the tight heat around his sex and listening to the soft moans that spilled out of Sora’s mouth. The gentle sighs of his name and the contrasting sharp gasps whenever Roxas scraped against his prostate. He tried not to put too much focus on it, knowing this would end too quickly if he did.

But neither of them could help how good it felt. Something about running his fingers over Sora’s skin, threading them through Sora’s own fingers with one hand while the other gripped his hips. Unable to help speeding his thrusts up even a little bit, chasing that good feeling until it was practically throbbing through his entire body. Draped over Sora now, face buried in his hair as he inhaled nothing but his scent, eyes closed as his hips stuttered through their rhythm. Shivering at the sounds Sora made, at the way they sped up in time with their movements, at the pleasured breathlessness of them.

Sora shuddered and gasped and squirmed at each sensation until he was squeezing around Roxas, crying out his name, fingers twitching where they’d clenched into fists as he spilled against the sheets, and Roxas was right behind him with the bed shaking and the sound of skin slapping as he rode out his own orgasm. He didn’t knot. It’d defeat the purpose of the condom.

Damn did he want to though.

He settled for cuddling with Sora after pulling out and disposing of the used protection. The subject of birth control had been brought up multiple times, and while it had them covered on those passionate, mindless days where they forgot, it was ultimately less messy to just cover it up. It was also an easier discussion than the suppressant one. That one had earned a look of outright disgust. Besides, though they were more effective, Roxas was glad that Sora’s heats weren’t gone entirely.

One of those days though, he’d knot Sora again. And he’d mean it. Something would come of it.

For then and there, they were content to lie in the bed, sated and sleepy and pressed close together until their eyes shut and their breaths slowed.

That day was far off. Roxas liked to think they’d be married when it finally came around.

The thought of it sent him to sleep with a smile.


	8. Epilogue 2

They decided to try for it this time.

No accidents. No unexpected or unplanned mistakes.

It’d been almost three years. They decided they were ready for it by now.

It’d taken about two years for their mating cycles to completely synch up and in the last few weeks, Sora had put a halt to his birth control. They’d woken up that morning already experiencing the beginnings of rut and heat and Sora was quick to start nesting, pulling all his extra pillows and blankets out and situating them around their room in whichever way he felt most comfortable with. This time, his setup wouldn’t be going away for a while. Not until about a year after the kid was born.

If they didn’t have more. Not that Roxas was planning on it; one would be enough for now.

It was funny, when Roxas thought about it. How, nearly three years ago he’d been visiting the islands and had essentially gotten caught up in a “summer fling”. How they’d almost ended up with a kid that time, and probably would have if not for Sora’s quick thinking. They’d lucked out and it’d worked when he took the morning after pill; there’d been no surprise babies and they were able to take their time and settle into their relationship comfortably.

Still, looking back on that time, it was a wonder that they’d reached this point now. A point where Roxas couldn’t imagine his life without Sora. A point where he could look at the bitemark on his mate’s neck and the rings that adorned their fingers and know that it meant forever for them.

Cheesy as hell, yeah he knew. He couldn’t help the warm and fuzzy feeling that filled him at the thought though. Building a family with Sora was just the next natural step, especially considering how they _both_ wanted kids.

Now that they’d synched up completely, they felt they were ready to take that step. Which was why they now found themselves naked on the bed, Roxas sitting back and waiting for Sora to finish his nest. It’d been just as long since Roxas had been with Sora in full heat, considering how birth control dampened it significantly, and temptation was already nagging at the back of Roxas’ mind, itching at his nose and twitching in his fingers. Harder to ignore what with how he was in the full swing of rut.

The way their mating cycles complimented each other was…interesting, to say the least. Roxas always felt twitchy and constantly overstimulated in rut. He could only focus on one thing at a time, that “one thing” usually being Sora, and everything else was like an annoying fly buzzing by his ear. It made his temper a little unbearable when it was set off, but usually he kept to the house and pawed at Sora until he convinced him to take his clothes off so it was rare that anything ever _did_ set him off. With the scent of Sora’s heat filling his nose, however, he felt a lot calmer. More at peace. More focused. The buzzing in his ears was gone, blocked out by every sound Sora made, be it something as innocent as him breathing softly or something more. Like when Roxas reached out while Sora was setting the pillows up on the bed just right and ran his fingers down the exposed skin of his thigh, and Sora let out a shivering moan that went straight to Roxas’ dick. He knew it was already standing at attention, but he’d wait. He’d get kicked out if he interrupted Sora’s nesting process.

It wasn’t overly meticulous, but it had personality to it. A sort of Sora flair to it what with the various colorful pillowcases and the blankets with different media that Sora was a fan of and even a few of Roxas’ shirts stuffed in there that he’d been looking for. Pillows were stacked and blankets were laid out and the bed had been stripped of its sheets, only to be piled up with Sora’s best comforters and numerous body pillows that he’d collected over the years.

When he finished, he’d stretched out over his masterpiece with a beckoning smile and an inviting spread of his legs.

And who was Roxas to turn that down?

Their first synched rut and heat started and ended with them wrapped in each other’s arms. It washed away all thought until there was nothing but the two of them. Nothing but the scent of Sora, the taste of him on Roxas’ tongue, the feel of his skin, the wet heat of his slick, the tight hold Sora had of Roxas once he was inside. The wrap of legs around his waist, gone only when they changed position for another round after another knot. The quick breaths, the thumping heartbeats—in tune as their very beings complimented each other—the curled toes and clenched fists. The slip of sweaty limbs and plush warmth of lips pressed together. The caresses in between, when they were joined and could barely move.

It lasted for five days, as was typical. And, considering what they’d attempted to accomplish with this, their subsequent heat and rut would be missed in the next half year. Replaced instead with bated breath for the new addition to their tiny family. Roxas found himself stroking his fingers lightly over Sora’s belly while he slept, excited and nervous and exhilarated all at once.

Life went back to normal besides that. Well…mostly normal.

Once they’d found out for sure that they were bearing fruit from their efforts, the announcement had sent everyone they knew into a whiplash-inducing frenzy. Baby showers this and baby books that and baby classes this and “here’s what you should dread now that your omega is expecting”. That last one was particularly frightening.

Regardless, he was looking forward to the coming months. He’d gotten himself all prepared for his and Sora’s little bundle of sunshine: the crib, and the bottles, and the pacifiers, and the carriers, and the stroller, and the car seat, and the clothes—goddamn there were so many _clothes_—and the packs upon packs upon packs of diapers, and the blankets, and the baby books, and so many things Roxas had lost count of because holy shit it turned out little humans needed a lot of crap when starting out life. He’d gotten all antsy and excited at the doctor’s visits, more so than Sora who flowed with things just about as easily as every other aspect of his life, and was counting the days until they’d find out if it was a boy or a girl. That’d be the first milestone of that sort seeing as their presentation wouldn’t happen until puberty, and while it didn’t matter to Roxas either way, he still found himself giddy over it. He knew he’d spoil the kid rotten. Just about as much as his dad would or Sora’s parents would, he was willing to bet. Which worked for him because it’d be the only kid for a while; he wasn’t exactly looking for a full litter or anything.

So it was just his luck when the latest doctor’s visit ended with the revelation that they were having twins.

Go figure.


	9. Bonus 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Both this and the next chapter were actually last minute additions. They're just things I wanted to write that didn't fit into the story proper, so I'm calling them bonus chapters.

Sora shuddered through another orgasm.

_Another_ one. That was, like, three in around the same number of minutes.

He was starting to maybe lose his mind.

Every heat was like this: he’d be stretched out over the bed with one of his favorite toys inside him—this one was the bright red one with the knot that was _just the right size_—and his hand around his dick, jacking off furiously in order to satiate the burning sensation that covered his skin. He liked to imagine that maybe someone was running their hands over him, though he never imagined any faces…that led to a whole other barnyard full of awkwardness, or that it was maybe the nice, warm palm of some strapping alpha rubbing over the underside of his arousal. Swiping a thumb over the tip or stroking down to play with his balls. Or, y’know, that same strapping imaginary alpha that had no chance of actually existing when Sora wasn’t dating at the moment was the one fucking Sora’s brains out in time with that stupidly vibrant red dildo.

Vibrant in the visual sense, of course. Sora couldn’t handle a vibrator in heat; he was already too overstimulated by nature alone.

And seriously, who thought heats were a good idea in the first place? He understood that he had it easier than betas who could get knocked up at any point in the year, whereas if he wanted to achieve the same he’d have to become someone’s cum dumpster and pray to the fertility gods that something came of it outside of heat (and the thought of that was just downright gross) but that was only in the sense that his body chose when it wanted babies.

_He_ didn’t want babies. Not yet, anyway. So why’d he have to go through this now?

It was in the midst of his mental griping that his muscles tensed up and he gasped through yet another orgasm and okay. That was it. He was absolutely going to lose his fucking mind in this house.

There was nothing but the scent of heat and cum and slick surrounding him in a cloyingly sweet, thick haze that, while it might’ve been enticing to an alpha, just smelled sweaty and nasty to Sora. Unappealing and overwhelming in every sense of the word. It was equivalent to exercising and then hanging around in his own B.O. He could ignore it when he was frustratedly masturbating in hopes that his high temperature would leave him alone and the throbbing headache he was starting to form would maybe go away, but right now in the midst of his…admittedly miniscule recovery period, he couldn’t help but notice it.

That and, well, his own hands just weren’t doing it for him. Yeah, he came at the drop of a dime but _of course he did_. For some reason, he was essentially made to.

Whoever decided that could just fuck right off too.

Sora squirmed and grunted and rolled himself off his bed, landing in a pile of thick blankets on the floor. His nest was a bit of a mess but he wasn’t in the mindset to try and fix it, and besides there was no one there to judge it so who even cared. Still clutching his toy after it’d slipped out of him, leaving what felt like an empty void that suddenly and desperately needed to be filled again behind, and he ignored the sensation as he crawled to his feet. A short trip to the bathroom brought the dildo to the rim of his bathtub so he could clean it when he showered later but the majority of his energy went to cleaning himself first. Washing his hands and splashing water in his face—damn, he looked a serious mess…he probably shouldn’t have looked in the mirror—before wiping the cum and slick from his skin. Dutifully ignoring the sparks of pleasure that raced up his spine when he brushed against his renewed hard-on.

Sora glared down at it.

“You shut up, you horny bastard. Leave me alone,” he grumbled to it. It only stared back at him, flushed red and waiting to be petted he supposed.

Too bad. It’d have to suck it up.

He stumbled his way back into his room, tripping over a pillow and absentmindedly kicking it back into place before clambering for his dresser…well, technically it was his mother’s dresser that she passed down to him when his sister didn’t want it, and searching for whatever clothes he could throw on that would acceptably get him outside. He’d have to dodge basically everyone, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t be in this house anymore.

“Aha!” he grinned, having finally found a pair of shorts and a tank top. He wasn’t even going to bother with underwear. All he needed was something that covered him so he could go out. Hopefully it wouldn’t be so bright and cheery that everyone wanted to be out and about all at once.

He got an answer to that when a clap of thunder met his ears.

Curious, Sora slipped his clothes on before pushing his curtain aside to peek outside. It was dreary, dark, raining heavily… Not a single person out on the street.

_Perfect_.

He hadn’t even known it was going to rain. He couldn’t exactly check the weather when the only thing that had been on his mind was getting off…over and over and over and over and fucking over again. His dick even twitched at the thought, still hard of course, and he staunchly ignored it as he ran downstairs, not even bothering with shoes when he finally ventured outside. It wouldn’t matter anyway. The moment he’d reached his porch he was already soaked.

Even more perfect.

The rain would cover his scent decently enough. It wasn’t quite as effective as, say, submerging his entire body in water but it’d keep him covered up to a certain distance. Which was, quite frankly, exactly what he needed to help finalize his decision. He shut his front door—no one would bother with it, the other villagers weren’t interested in stealing his shit and if a grabby tourist wandered by, the police station was like five blocks down for that exact reason—and stepped out into the torrent. Already his hair and clothes were sticking to him, but the scent of his own heat was no longer clogging his nose. It was literally a breath of fresh air, and Sora inhaled deeply to enjoy it.

The scents of other villagers still lingered, faint and unobtrusive, but they were a reminder that he was still surrounded by people and that wasn’t a good idea while in heat. Especially when the scent of alpha was mixed in. His mind was a bit clearer, but there was still a blanket of heat-fueled haze nudging at his thoughts, telling him to follow those scents. Sora shook his head and rubbed at his temples, making instead for the beach.

There’d be no one at the beach in this weather. No one was crazy enough to go in the water during a storm and there wasn’t much to do on the shore when one was getting rained on.

Thankfully, no one bothered him as he walked. There were a few people outside, taking their electronic stuff in or pulling laundry from clotheslines, but they barely spared Sora a glance as he wandered by. Normally he’d be waving and greeting and starting polite conversations, but right now he didn’t mind so much considering the circumstances. Besides, by the time he rounded the corner and started along the main road down past the village gates and to the beach, there was a coolness to his skin and a clarity to his thoughts that he could finally appreciate and he didn’t want someone to distract him and send the heat rushing back.

The beach itself was blessedly empty. Completely deserted. There were even chairs and umbrellas and towels left behind, as if the storm had come suddenly and unexpectedly. This was further down the beach though, only able to be made out if Sora squinted into the distance. Up close he was met with nothing but sand and a series of rock structures. They collected in little groups near the village that spread out the farther from the village they were until they became sparse and unobtrusive. Sora strolled past each of them, hands rested behind his head now that he could finally relax.

It was a release in its own right, no longer trapped in his own house with nothing but the smell of his own heat to accompany him. It wasn’t gone completely, judging by the warmth that still ran over his skin and…well, he couldn’t quite help that he was still hard. Thankfully his shorts were baggy enough that it was only noticeable if someone was looking for it, and there was no one around to stare at his crotch so he figured he was fine. It was an uncomfortable sensation to walk around with though, compounded with the fact that he was still a slick factory on the back end, but whatever. He’d deal with it, he guessed.

He was making good enough progress on his walk anyway, now much calmer and thinking clearer. He’d made a good bit of distance between himself and the village, though he was closer to it than he was to the resort, still separated by a thick wood of trees that had been planted there ages ago to keep out the light and noise. Still, he didn’t want to get too much farther.

Maybe he’d just sit out in the rain for a while.

He made for one of those rock gatherings in hopes they’d provide at least a small amount of cover—

Hang on.

There was someone there already.

A quizzical look twisted Sora’s expression into a confused frown. Who in the hell wanted to be out in this weather…not counting himself, but he had his reasons.

Whoever it…he, Sora realized upon closer inspection, was, he wasn’t from the village. Sora didn’t recognize him at all. All blond hair and lightly freckled, pale skin. Dressed in a t-shirt, white with a checkered design along the seams, and black shorts as if he had some sort of theme going on. It worked for him, Sora supposed. Looked nice on him.

Then again, the stranger in general looked nice. More than nice. Just his side profile was insanely attractive, from the slope of his nose to the sharpness of his jaw to the way his wet hair brushed over his almost electric blue eyes. He was slim but muscular, enough so that he looked like he could easily pick Sora up. Maybe spread him open and completely wreck him while he was at it—

Wait, holy fuck, shit.

He was an alpha.

It was pure instinct filling Sora’s head with such thoughts. Pushing rivers of heat back through his veins and pooling in his groin until he was sure he was leaking on both ends. At the very least, it wouldn’t be noticeable since his clothes were already wet from the rain but he could feel it. He could feel the slick puddling between his cheeks and threatening to dribble down his legs.

That was…not good. This was the worst time for Sora to be around an alpha, especially one he didn’t know. It was essentially an invitation for trouble; he didn’t know if this was the type of alpha who liked to jump omegas the moment heat met their nostrils and he didn’t want to find out the hard way.

And yet…

Even when he turned on his heel, ready to head back to the village and stop being a baby about it—he was on his last day of heat anyway, he could stand to deal like he’d been for the past nine years—something made him stop. Something about that alpha.

He turned around again, the action involuntary and entirely unhelpful as he found himself…wanting to go to this alpha. It was totally against all rational thought. Yeah, the guy was hot and he did look like he’d take him for one hell of a ride but…no. This was what Sora should be walking away from. He should be going home and washing his dildo off and apologizing to it for straying away before going back to what’d been his daily routine for the majority of the past week. He should be avoiding a situation in which he could get himself hurt but…

Before he knew it, his feet were carrying him unbidden towards the alpha. It was stupid, it was ludicrous. It was dangerous. It was all his heat’s fault, he wanted to tell himself. His body was yearning to be touched and it’d just found the right person to do it.

But the alpha turned his head and those electric blue eyes met Sora’s and it was as if the entire world fell away. It was as if the entire planet, the entire universe, all of existence ceased to be. As if nothing mattered but the man in front of him. As if Sora had found himself drowning in an ocean and yet it didn’t hurt. He welcomed it with open arms and an inviting smile. It’d sweep him away where he’d be safe and well taken care of and lo—

Fuck. This wasn’t heat talking.

Heat made him horny. Heat made him insatiable. Heat _didn’t_ make him stupid. It didn’t go against conscious thought, no matter how intrusive it was. It didn’t make his heart beat twice as hard, twice as fast. It didn’t tingle over his skin and settle in his stomach like butterflies. It didn’t make everything else disappear when he met someone’s eyes. It didn’t pull him towards someone without input, thought, regret, or even consideration.

That was the sort of thing a soulmate did.

And Sora had a feeling he’d just met his.

It was…odd, that he was hanging around the rocks in the rain when there was an entire resort down the beach for him to enjoy. The sort of thing that should’ve told Sora this guy was weird and probably should’ve been avoided but…

No, maybe this was meant to happen. That was how soulmates worked, after all. Sora saw it all the time: how two people would meet and instantly click. How destiny made it so. It was how his parents met, after all. They hadn’t believed it until they experienced it but it was real and Sora always knew, always _hoped_ that it’d happen to him too.

Well, here he was. Standing in the rain with his soulmate, still in heat and hard and leaking slick and really, _really_ hoping this alpha wouldn’t notice. And maybe partially hoping that he would.

Nevermind that though. He at least needed to know the guy’s name first before he daydreamed about jumping his bones.

“I don’t usually find tourists sitting out in the rain.” There. That broke the ice, right? People liked it when he was casual with them; it helped them relax and made them comfortable around him. Which he liked because it meant he could make friends easier.

He hoped this alpha would feel the same around him. He seemed to, judging by the way his shoulders relaxed when Sora spoke. He responded verbally and nonverbally as they continued talking, coming across as an expressive person. Sora learned about him through idle chatter, such as his name being Roxas or the fact that he was from Twilight Town.

But he couldn’t quite ignore how he was seriously, almost desperately attracted to Roxas, and it showed in his body and in his scent. He’d hoped to keep it hidden, positioning himself so that his arousal wasn’t obvious and staying far enough away that Roxas wouldn’t catch his scent. Hoping that there wasn’t an embarrassing flush over his skin or that he wasn’t making a face at the sticky wetness between his cheeks.

He should’ve known it’d be futile.

He wasn’t sure what exactly had caught Roxas’ attention when Sora tried to shift into a straighter, more comfortable posture, wanting to speak with him more but not interested in the stiff back he’d end up with if he kept bending over the way he had, but it had shivers traveling down his spine when Roxas’ expression shifted. It was something hungry there, something needy. He’d opened his mouth to speak and now it was slack, along with his entire expression, as all of the intensity shifted to his eyes. It was like being watched by a hawk, all sharp gazed and impeccably focused.

That was…too much. Overwhelming to the point where it felt like everything within Sora was threatening to overflow and spill out. Too blissed out on the attention Roxas gave him, strung out on heat and floating on the feeling of finding his soulmate.

He stood tall as he stepped back, confident that Roxas would follow. Wanting him to. Coherent thought that’d been so painstakingly gained through this excursion melted away with the rain, replaced by a swirl of emotions and sensations Sora couldn’t make any sense of. They didn’t have to.

Even after Sora led Roxas to his house, paying no mind to the consequences this encounter could lead to. He didn’t care. He didn’t want to care. Even after Sora let Roxas into his house, into his space, into his body, into his soul… Nothing made sense, but none of that mattered.

He’d never felt more complete.

Hell, he’d never felt more sated either. He was far from a virgin, but he’d never had sex during heat. That night spent with Roxas almost made him regret such a thing. How could he have possibly made it so long without _this_; this desperate, heady passion that had his toes curling and his breaths shortened and his fingers clenching. Legs wrapped around Roxas’ waist when he was on his back or knees pressed into the bed when he was on his stomach. Thoughts pushed aside for pure feeling. Pure pleasure and pure satiation.

Okay so, by the end of it he’d realized he’d ended up back in his house anyway. But at least he wasn’t back at square one. Even late into the night when his heat had faded and Roxas had knotted him for the nth time and they lay panting in wet, sweat-soaked, cum-stained sheets, Sora’s fingers threading through Roxas’ as exhaustion started to claim him and pull him to sleep, he knew he wasn’t going to regret this.

They had an entire lifetime to figure out the rest later.


	10. Bonus 2: Deleted Scenes and Other Fun Stuff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s just a small collection of some stuff I either hadn’t thought to include or wanted to but couldn’t find a place for them without ruining the pace of the story.

**Chapter One, Roxas:**

He could close his eyes and practically envision those days. Skating with his friends, going home to a bustling household with two dads who spent more time running around for their jobs than anything else, nursing whatever bruise the “disciplinary committee” felt inclined to leave him with, and wrestling with whatever self-esteem issue he’d managed to dredge up that time. There was always something. Sometimes he’d go home and just stare at himself in the mirror and wonder if he was really his parents’ kid. They were _perfect_. Tall and muscular and flawless. He was short and scrawny and covered in freckles, and every time he opened his mouth he was assaulted with tracks of metal.

He knew he couldn’t have been anyone else’s. He looked just like his dad, and his pops had always mentioned that he used to be just as freckly when he was Roxas’ age. Roxas had even seen the pictures, so he knew it wasn’t a lie. Still, he doubted he had any hopes of growing up to be like his pops. Pops towered over everyone, the exemplary alpha, and practically exuded power.

Roxas figured he’d be lucky to even get someone to look twice at him. He was the exact opposite: a complete wallflower. Never mind crooked mating bites, he’d pick at his braces with his tongue and wonder if he’d ever get the chance to bite someone period. No omega would possibly be interested in an alpha that was smaller than them. Or one that still got mistaken for a grade school kid at fifteen.

Looking back, Roxas was glad he’d made the friends he had and was blessed with the family he had. They’d pushed him where he wouldn’t push himself. Taught him that there was no one way for an alpha to look, or act, or feel. His emotions and his instincts were his own; he was the one who was in control. It was his choice to improve himself.

He thought he might’ve done a good job then. He was still short, having barely made it to 5’5 by the time he was eighteen, but he’d moved past that tiny, insecure, barely presented alpha kid that had all but given up.

Hence why he was adamant about his friends going ahead without him while he went out to find his own entertainment.

**Chapter 4, Xion’s Rant:**

“I mean_ do you have any idea—_”

“I might have a clue.”

“_—How pissed off I am at you right now?!_”

“Well, you’re screaming at me, so…”

Xion could only scream more, wordlessly this time as she gripped at her hair. Face bright red with frustration and teeth gritted into a dangerous snarl that would’ve geared any other alpha up for a fight. Roxas knew she wasn’t picking a fight with him though. She was lecturing the hell out of him instead.

“Shut the fuck up, Roxas, I’m being mad at you!”

Angrily lecturing the hell out of him.

Roxas, who was still a little too shellshocked at the revelation that he might’ve just made a kid with a complete stranger, could only sit on one of the hotel beds and listen. He didn’t really have the energy to argue back, leaving his responses quiet and devoid of life. There wasn’t even really a sarcastic bite to them. He answered her on impulse, as if his body was on autopilot.

It’d taken a bit of time for everything to sink in, but once it had?

It really, _truly_ sank in.

Xion’s lecturing was just the nail in the coffin, really.

“And I think I have a right to!” she continued. “You just up and disappear in the middle of a storm, don’t say a damn thing to any of us, come back _reeking_—and how do I know you didn’t get lured away by some weirdo?! How do I know you didn’t get hurt or taken advantage of or kidnapped or whatever could’ve happened?! How was I supposed to know you didn’t get washed out into the ocean and drown?!”

“Well, clearly he didn’t ‘cause he’s sitting right here.”

“Shut the fuck up, Hayner, I’m mad at you too!”

Hayner, who was laid out across one of the other beds, his attitude about the entire situation still bafflingly nonchalant, merely shrugged and waved her off.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“You could’ve gotten him to come with us that night instead of _letting him wander off into a fucking hurricane!_”

Hayner rolled his eyes so dramatically that Roxas could see it even out of his periphery, despite his gaze being centered on the patterned hotel carpet.

“That wasn’t even a hurricane. And he’s a big boy, Xion. Quit mothering him.”

“Besides,” Lea added. He was part of the group huddled around the bed Roxas was sitting on, standing behind Xion with his arms crossed as he watched everything unfold. He’d been quiet up until now, but clearly he had something to say if he was risking Xion’s wrath to pitch in. “You know why Rox doesn’t like to go drinking. He had every reason to go off and do his own thing. Maybe we should hear him out?”

Shoulders dropping, Xion’s anger seemed to slowly seep out. It was like watching steam shoot out of a kettle.

“I know,” she gritted out. Hands clenching and unclenching. Breaths shaky, head drooping. Her expression relaxed into something more vulnerable. Something reminiscent of older times when she so passionately fought Roxas’ ideals of what an alpha should or should not be. Xion could argue her point until her face was blue, and it may have sounded harsh in the moment but Roxas knew she did so because she cared. It was hard to be upset with her onesided screaming match then. Not when he knew he’d freaked her out to the point where she was worried he’d been hurt.

He couldn’t have helped it though. Not with…

Not after meeting Sora.

“I know,” she sighed again. “I’m getting too worked up about this, but you guys know how I feel. We were _all_ worried. What happened, Roxas? Whose scent is that? Why didn’t you at least let us know where you were.”

“I’m sure you can smell how preoccupied he was,” Hayner snorted quietly. This time Xion was rolling her eyes.

“I’m asking Roxas, Hayner.”

“Hayner, be quiet,” Olette mumbled. There was a light smack accompanying it and the sound of grumbling followed.

“I…” Somehow it was harder to say now. With Hayner, it was a moment between two best friends. Two brothers. Roxas could tell him anything; had been for _years_. The atmosphere now wasn’t nearly as comfortable. Under scrutiny and being chastised like a child, Roxas might as well have been stuffed in an interrogation room and coerced into confessing his crimes.

It was ridiculous, because being with Sora hadn’t been a crime. It couldn’t have been more opposite: claim bite aside, everything about that encounter felt _right_.

Until a certain revelation made it all wrong.

And Roxas wasn’t sure how to fess up to that now. Not with all of his friends watching. Realistically, he knew they’d support him. Wouldn’t judge or belittle him. Wouldn’t force him into anything. But they would have their opinions and ideas on where to go from there and Roxas wasn’t ready to make any big decisions yet. He was still a little too out of it over Sora’s possible pregnancy.

What a way to start a vacation.

“Start from the beginning, Rox,” Lea encouraged.

“Yeah,” Xion agreed. “I won’t blow up on you again. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“Well, I… I met someone,” Roxas started awkwardly. He peeked at each of his friends one by one, reluctant to look into their eyes but eased by their more relaxed body language, before continuing. “And we…well, you know what we did. But uh…”

“You can say it, man. No one’s judging you,” Hayner said.

Roxas took the plunge.

“Um… He was in heat. And I might’ve knocked him up.”

**Chapter 3, Sora:**

There was something to be said about the complete mess Sora was once his newfound soulmate left.

Something deep and hard-hitting and probably mean-spirited.

Not that he was into sleeping around or anything. He’d gone through the rounds: dates and relationships and all the baggage that came with them. Maybe a one night stand every once in a blue moon on his lonelier days. Nothing where he thought he ought to be ashamed of himself.

Here and now, standing in the middle of a messy, half-baked nest, covered in cum and kiss marks and feeling a hungry ache all over his body…and most especially in his nether regions, he felt just a little bit ashamed of himself.

Here he’d been hoping to clear his mind of heat and instead he spent the last few hours of it getting fucked into oblivion.

It was almost funny if Sora wasn’t slowly sinking in a river of self-doubt.

That was ridiculous though, right? Roxas would be back.

…Whenever.

Sora had no clue when the hell “whenever” was supposed to be. He wanted Roxas back _now_.

And that felt ridiculous because soulmate or not, he’d never planned on an entire night, and the morning after, of marathon sex with a complete stranger.

A complete stranger with golden hair and freckly skin and a gorgeous smile on that stupid gorgeous face.

And that perfect fucking knot that Sora needed to stop thinking about right now because being depressed and horny was a low he wasn’t intending on dropping to today.

It was…weird to think that way though. That he might be depressed that Roxas was gone. He barely knew the guy: Roxas would’ve been, under normal circumstances, barely a blip on Sora’s radar. He’d have accomplished becoming a notch on the headboard and it’d have been left at that.

But this was so not normal.

This was a swirl of emotions Sora could barely understand. This was a dear, personal longing. This was a sense of belonging, a feeling of completion.

This was a bite mark on the side of Sora’s neck.

He knew he could’ve rejected it. It’d have been painful as all hell for both him and Roxas, but it’d have scabbed over the bite and it would’ve faded with time.

But Sora didn’t want to reject Roxas. He knew in that moment that he wanted to be claimed. He knew Roxas was worth it because somehow things would work out. Somehow they’d spend the rest of their lives together.

Sheesh. Sora hadn’t even been this gung-ho in his longest relationship.

He ran his fingers over the raised mark on the side of his neck, knowing that if he looked in the mirror it would still be red and shiny. He wondered if Roxas was ready for everything it meant.

He wondered if _he_ was ready.

Probably not. He wanted it to work out that way. He was so determined to tell Roxas that it would that he’d almost even convinced himself. But Sora wasn’t even looking for a partner. He was still trying to settle into his job and his life. Moving back into his childhood home but without the rest of his family, fresh faced and licensed and ready to teach the little ones the basics in life. He hadn’t even considered the possibility of making a life with someone else, getting married, adding his own little ones to the mix someday. He wasn’t planning on considering that until he was more stable.

Roxas entering his life was akin to being hit by a truck.

Sora was left disoriented, standing in the middle of his floor, surrounded by rumpled blankets and pillows, poking at his mating mark and staring into space as he tried to reason with himself that he’d found his soulmate and hey, maybe it was okay that they spent most of their interaction fucking like bunnies because they had the rest of their lives to figure the other stuff out—clearly they got the sex part right…like _really_ right. Like, Sora didn’t think he’d ever fallen into bed so smoothly with someone; it was usually awkward at first and his partners sometimes told him he was bad at being sexy…

Which, okay, he knew that. But still. Things worked out after a few tries, a few dates, a few chances to get to know one another…

Not, uh… Not like how it’d been with Roxas.

Nothing was like how it’d been with Roxas.

Gods, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. He couldn’t make his feet move. Couldn’t even go about his day. He was stuck on Roxas. Every thought revolved around him. He wanted to run out into that street after Roxas and drag him back. He wanted all of Roxas: he wanted to know everything about him, he wanted to be part of his life.

It was so _desperate_.

There was that pull again. That ache in his heart, like he was missing half of it and the other resided in Roxas. He found his hand placed over his chest without input, as if to soothe the pain just a little. It was frustrating that there was an ache at all. How could he feel so strongly about someone he just met?

But that was what a soulmate was.

How mystifying.

Sora huffed in exasperation, trying to push the myriad of emotions down. This wasn’t like him, and he didn’t like it. He didn’t like how out of sorts he was about Roxas. He didn’t like that it felt like he was getting pulled through sludge just to step out of his room. He didn’t like that he could still smell Roxas there. He didn’t like that the source of that scent was gone.

He wanted him back.

…

He was being dramatic though, he was sure of it. What he really ought to do is take a shower and eat something. He was starving and craving and hormonal and he hated that heat always left him like this. And he knew he’d never get anywhere standing around in his room like an idiot, covered in dried sweat and cum and smelling like he’d just rolled around in a barn.

Gross.

Nose wrinkled as scents other than Roxas’ started to filter through, Sora’s mind was made up and he let that resolve carry him into the bathroom. It’d been left just the same as it was before Sora had gone out into the rain. Still a bit of a mess since he couldn’t really pay much mind to the state of it in heat. The light was even still on from when Roxas took his shower and his dildo still rested on the edge of the tub. He’d deal with that in a bit. He still felt a bit grody, so time was taken out to use the toilet and brush his teeth. And he’d have to shower too; something quick where he didn’t let thoughts of his recent mating with his soulmate (of all things, godsdamn) sink back into his brain. He just needed to scrub down. He felt crusty, and even a little wet where Roxas’ cum had started to leak out and trail down the backs of his legs.

He’d take a nice, hot shower then. Clean away the remnants of heat and clear his mind of all things—

Wait, fuck! Holy shit!

Sora practically jolted in his spot when the realization hit him.

Roxas came inside him. In his heat.

A lot.

Fuck.

Of course he didn’t stock up on condoms either, not while he was single—not that it’d have fucking mattered when neither of them were thinking about condoms in the first place.

_Fuck_.

That was…not good.

But it’d be okay, there was medicine for that, right?

Ha. Medicine that wasn’t one hundred percent guaranteed.

**_Fuck_**.

Okay, so…

Sora not only found his soulmate, mated to him in a night, and spent a good day’s worth rolling in the hay with him, but he also possibly (maybe…_probably_) ended up with a bun in the oven along the way.

Oh great.

**Bonus—The suppressant discussion:**

This wasn’t something Roxas usually brought up, so he’d never really paid much mind to the discussion surrounding it. His previous relationships kept their heats, and everything involved with them, to themselves and he simply learned to give them that space when those times of year came around. Now, however, he was living with someone who expected him to _stay_ during heat, so he felt it was a question worth popping.

“You ever thought of taking suppressants?”

At least, he thought it was a question worth popping. He never really paid them much mind beyond what he learned in school. His dad had never taken them, but he never talked about them either.

They served as an absolute contraceptive essentially. Birth control for omegas ensured that they’d have the same chance of getting knocked up in heat as they would outside of heat: not impossible but highly unlikely. Suppressants destroyed the chance entirely—at least while they were being taken.

Though, Roxas supposed, maybe they might’ve been a sore subject judging by the uncharacteristically sour look Sora had given him.

Probably wasn’t the nicest look one should receive from someone holding a knife. And Sora went back to chopping his vegetables with an irate vigor that practically rattled his chopping board.

“You ever wanted to take a pill that made your balls fall off?” he shot back in a particularly nasty tone.

Yikes. Definitely a sore subject, then.

Although that maybe wasn’t the best example to use.

“You realize you also have balls, right?”

Sora stopped chopping and rolled his eyes, because yeah maybe Roxas had been a bit of a smartass that time, before wiping his hands off and sitting down. It gave the atmosphere a distinct “you’re getting The Talk” vibe, and Roxas didn’t know how to feel about that.

“I know I do, but they don’t work the way yours do. They’ll never have to unless the whole world’s population suddenly tanks or something.”

True, male omegas existed because alphas were actually relatively rare (_relatively_; if one went out and counted every alpha they’d be dizzy before they reached the first few million) and two betas could not make an alpha. An omega could. Whether they were birthing them themselves or getting a female beta pregnant with one, it was basically nature’s failsafe.

So Sora had a point in saying his balls didn’t work the same way Roxas’ did. He’d never have to put a bun in someone else’s oven so all his functioned as were little juice boxes to compliment the sausage party. The way he worked on the inside was _way_ different from how Roxas worked though.

That was what suppressants were really affecting.

“You wanna know what that shit really does? Imagine if you took a pill that made it feel like there was sludge running through your whole body. You’re stiff, you’re tired, you’re cranky _all the time_. You don’t feel like yourself, you don’t smell like yourself, your whole balance is thrown off. Oh but congrats you can’t go into heat _at all_ and you can’t get pregnant. You also don’t smell like an omega anymore so everyone treats you like a beta, which is all well and good except how many alphas want a beta when they can’t knot them without hurting them? Makes it hard to find a relationship. And if you’re already in one, better hope your partner doesn’t get sick of you because your body’s basically telling you you suck and you’re in a bad enough emotional state to agree with it.”

Double yikes.

Despite the mild irritation that colored Sora’s tone while he explained, Roxas was glad he asked. He had no idea what suppressants actually did to omegas. It was no wonder most took the chance and just went with birth control then. No one could possibly want to go through what suppressants did to someone. It was a wonder they even existed.

“Why do they even make suppressants if they’re that shitty then?”

“Eh,” Sora shrugged. “Used to be that some omegas _wanted_ to hide that they were omega, so suppressants were an easy way to do that. Plus in some places, going into heat is treated like an invitation by the resident alphas so some would take them just to avoid being raped. I mean, I know it could still happen but some courts won’t let an omega press charges if they were in heat.”

“Well goddamn.”

“Yeah. I mean, that’s archaic and Destiny Islands definitely isn’t like that. But still, suppressants exist for a reason. You’ll just never see me taking them.”

Roxas nodded in agreement. He couldn’t imagine a Sora who wasn’t cheerful, kind and upbeat. Suppressants were absolutely a no-no then.

“Sooo… birth control it is, then?”

“You gotta problem with wearing condoms, Roxas?” Sora snorted, his usual good mood finally coming back as amusement lit up in his eyes.

“You’re the one who tells me to cum inside you.” And he knew it too, the little shit.

Chuckling, Sora nodded before standing up to get back to his vegetable chopping. Roxas had no clue what he was going to make with them, but he’d eat it either way. Sora’s cooking was heavenly.

“Birth control it is. And I only ask you to knot me.”

“Same difference.” Condoms and knotting did not go hand in hand.

“Whatever, Roxas. I don’t have a problem with taking _that_. Let’s just…not bring up the suppressants again.”

That was something Roxas had no qualms in agreeing with.

“Ditto.”

**Bonus—Twilight Town:**

“Okay, you promised me great ice cream for a low price. I expect good returns on this,” Sora huffed haughtily, jokingly of course as he pretended to twiddle an imaginary mustache.

He’d suffered a long flight, a long train ride and then a not-as-long tram ride in order to get to this point…

Well, okay, it was actually all so he could meet Roxas’ dad. But still! Roxas promised to eventually introduce him to the apparent amazingness that was sea salt ice cream, and Sora was more than ready to douse himself in frozen sugar at this point.

Despite the winter weather.

It was funny, actually. Sora had honestly never seen snow in person. He’d never even experienced a slight chill on Destiny Islands. The fact that he’d had to borrow one of Roxas’ coats, alongside a hat and gloves and clothes that didn’t end at his elbows and knees, was the first warning. The second one hit him in the face…literally. A blast of cold air the moment they left the airport left the skin on Sora’s face icy and lingered until it settled into his bones and had him shivering until Roxas had pulled him close. The snowfall itself only started once they’d made it on the train, and Sora had been glued to the window from the moment he caught sight of the first snowflake.

Sure, Roxas laughed at him but what did that matter when there was _snow_!

He couldn’t resist rushing out into it the moment they’d left Central Station. Roxas still watched him with humor and fondness in his eyes, the latter Sora easily relayed in his own smiles, as he spun around, arms wide, trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue.

It was almost _magical_.

It’d started to stick by the time they’d boarded the tram, hitching a ride though Market Street until they’d reached the block where Roxas’ dad lived.

A row of houses lined the street, each thin and towering and very unlike what Sora was used to. Even when he’d moved out and roomed with Riku for a few years, they just shared the upstairs of a house where their other friends Tidus and Wakka shared the downstairs. It’d been in one of the suburbs surrounding the city, necessary considering they were all in college at the time, and even that was basically just a bigger version of their village. More people drove cars and their public buildings weren’t old as dirt, but otherwise there was little difference.

This though…

Twilight Town was a whole different beast.

Sora had never been so in awe of a place before. It wasn’t as big as the city on Destiny Islands but it was so colorful regardless. Bustling with activity as trams rode back and forth and people walked and drove and biked up and down Market Street. Shops were busy and customers were enthusiastic to match the boisterous shopkeepers. Street performers juggled what looked like kick balls on the sidewalks (Grandstander, Roxas had called it) and posters advertising the next Struggle tournament lined the walls. Roxas had even been excited about that one, mentioning that they’d be staying long enough to catch it, although he unfortunately missed the deadline to join in, and all his friends would be there to watch as well. Sora wasn’t leaning in either direction when it came to watching a Struggle match, but he was certainly glad for the chance to meet up with Roxas’ friends again. They were such great people.

He’d been nearly overwhelmed by it all. There was _so much_ and he wanted to see it all!

But there was one little thing Roxas promised, way back during last year’s summer, that Sora wanted to do first thing. Everything else would happen in time. Winter break was a little under two weeks and they planned on spending every day of that time in Twilight Town, so he’d get to experience everything he wanted to over the course of those two weeks. This, though…this he was excited for.

He’d heard Roxas and his friends rave about the stuff so much that he knew he needed to try it, snow be damned. Maybe the ice cream parlor Roxas preferred was a little out of place in the middle of winter but it was still open and that was all Sora needed to hear.

Hence why he’d made a point to remind Roxas of that promise.

“Really?” Roxas chuckled. “You want ice cream in the ass end of winter?”

“Why not? You trying to tell me it’s too cold for ice cream?”

“Yes.”

“Because as far as I see it, it’s never too cold for a good treat!”

An amused snort met his ears.

“This coming from the same guy who made faces at me when I first told him about sea salt ice cream.”

“Well you can’t blame me. It sounds kinda terrible on paper,” Sora shrugged. Rolling his eyes, Roxas reached out and grabbed Sora’s hand, pulling him along in the direction of what Sora assumed (well, okay, _hoped_) was the ice cream parlor in question.

“Yet you’re so eager for it now…”

“Yeah, you and the others did make a pretty good case for it.”

This time Roxas’ laugh was lighter. His fingers threaded through Sora’s and squeezed gently, and Sora felt that thrum in his pulse like little sparks that spread from his fingers to his toes.

That was another thing that had caught Sora off guard. It did so again and again and again. He’d gotten so used to Roxas being in his life that sometimes he forgot just how smitten with him he’d become. It was weird to think because, well, shouldn’t he have been smitten with his soulmate?

It sounded like such an easy answer at first, but Sora had taken a good while to actually fall in love with Roxas.

It turned out being soulmates with someone didn’t guarantee love at first sight. Hell even the ‘lust at first sight’ was more a product of his heat at the time. Things had calmed down a good bit once Roxas moved in and they’d stopped jumping each other every five seconds. That initial pull was nature’s way of introducing them to each other, like a mutual friend who thought they might make a good couple. It was intense at first because it _had_ to be. They wouldn’t have been where they are now if not for that pull. But they’d started out just dating otherwise. It was far too early to call that love.

Now Sora could take a step back and really look at it. Look at every interaction he had with Roxas. Note how Roxas often touched him, be it a stroke of fingers against his cheek or a hand at his back or a lock of his hair brushed out of his eyes. Note how Roxas often watched him with soft eyes and smiles, and kissed him with tender lips. How they lay in each other’s arms at night and Sora fell asleep to the sound of Roxas’ heartbeat and the warm, summery gentleness of his scent. Roxas smelled like pine needles and sunshine; like a physical manifestation of warmth and comfort. And Sora had fallen deeper for these moments every day.

It’d started out a bit mundane, he’d admit. But the joy in life was finding that love with Roxas where they no longer needed their status as soulmates to fill in. Sora no longer desperately needed him. Now he just wanted him. Forever.

He loved him.

He loved everything about him, from the joy in his laughter to the carefree way he pulled Sora along the street to the gentle way he looked back at Sora, and it had his pulse racing and his skin flushing from something other than the cold. He couldn’t get enough of it.

Needless to say, even when they’d arrived at the ice cream parlor, if it could really be called that considering it was more of a side shop, Sora wasn’t even looking at it. He couldn’t pull his eyes from Roxas, still swimming in the absolute goop that was his heart.

This was what soulmates meant. Being introduced to the person you could love unconditionally for the rest of your life.

“—any other flavors you wanted to try, just in case you don’t like…uh… Sora?”

“Hmm?”

“You okay?”

Oh, but maybe staring at Roxas nonstop was starting to look a little weird on Sora’s part. He laughed sheepishly and rubbed at the back of his head, ducking his face down when it started to burn a little hotter.

“Yeah, I’m…uh…ice cream.”

“Wow, I guess they were right when they said you are what you eat.”

“Oh shut up,” Sora laughed, bumping his hip against Roxas’ and earning a laugh in return.

“I’m guessing since I’m not hearing any protests that you do want to try the sea salt ice cream, so,” with that Roxas turned to the old lady watching them from behind the window with a bland expression, knocking on the glass until she tugged it open. “two sea salt ice creams, please.”

“Roxas,” she sighed. “Why do you even ask. I already know what you want.”

“That tells me how often you’ve been here,” Sora snickered.

“Oh shut up,” Roxas parroted in a snarky whisper.

The lady behind the window shoved it closed again with a grunt and Sora peeked inside to see her and one other person dressed in parlor uniforms not unlike the workers at Sweetstack moving about and…possibly arguing?

“Are they okay in there?”

“Yeah, old lady Cinnamon’s kind of a witch and…I think that’s Xu working today so no wonder they got into a spat.”

“Her name is Cinnamon?”

“I don’t know what her real name is. We’ve been calling her Cinnamon since we were kids. Hayner used to say it’s because she’s so spicy, but it’s really because she used to put cinnamon sticks in our vanilla ice cream.”

Sora had to sputter out a laugh at that.

“Somehow I’m not surprised Hayner would call the ice cream lady spicy.”

“Good, you’re getting used to his dumbassery then.”

Sora didn’t get a chance to respond before the window was heaved open again and a girl with dark brown hair and a tight expression on her face held out two sticks of teal blue ice cream. Roxas grabbed them from her with a sympathetic smile.

“Why do you still work here?” he sighed lowly, a tiny, slightly pained grin on his face.

“Because it’s better than going back to military school. It was either that or get a job and Cinnawitch was the only one hiring this side of Market Street at the time. I’ll ditch the old hag yet though,” the girl, Xu, rolled her eyes.

“I heard that!” echoed quietly from the background.

“Anyway, you know how it is, Rox. You started working online ‘cause you couldn’t stand being here and it was hell finding another job in the area. Imagine how I feel.”

“Follow in my footsteps. Or, I don’t know, become a pro Struggler and beat the shit out of Setzer for a living.”

“Ha! I wish. Maybe I would if Seifer wasn’t aiming for that instead. Can’t stomach working in the same field as _him_.”

“Ah. Yeah, I get that…”

It was a conversation that didn’t fly entirely over Sora’s head, as he knew who Seifer and Setzer were and how big a deal Struggle was in TT, but he still found himself a bit on the side lines as his eyes followed the conversation.

Thankfully Roxas picked up on that.

“Anyway, as riveting as Seifer is as a conversation topic—” Sora could practically _feel_ the sarcasm dripping out of that one. “—I think I’d rather introduce you to my soulmate.”

“Soulmate? Roxas, that’s a fairy tale…” Xu said, eyebrows scrunched in confusion. Her eyes flitted down to Sora’s mating mark skeptically, as if she was unsure if Roxas just meant “mates” and not “soulmates” and Sora was reminded then that Roxas used to have the same mindset. Not everyone was as open to the idea of soulmates as Destiny Islands was.

“Yeah if you told me two years ago that I’d find mine, I would’ve agreed. But it’s real. And Sora’s really my soulmate.”

Taking that as his cue to introduce himself, Sora held out a hand to Xu and offered a bright smile.

“Nice to meet you!”

Blinking in surprise, though at what Sora didn’t know, she tentatively reached out and shook his hand.

“Nice to meet you too,” she said before turning her gaze back to Roxas. “What the hell, he’s so cute.”

“I know right.”

Blushing, Sora pulled his hand away to rub at the back of his head again. It was more out of embarrassment than flattery—after all the scent wafting from Xu’s skin was decidedly omega—but he found himself doing a decent impression of a cherry regardless. Maybe it was knowing that someone from Roxas’ past accepted him. Maybe it was the pleasing feeling of knowing he had a place at Roxas’ side now.

Either way he was squirming like a school kid with a crush and he didn’t know what to make of that.

“Alright, we should go before Sora bursts into flames or something. Besides, I still need to introduce him to my dad.”

“He hasn’t met Cloud yet?”

Roxas shrugged again, though it was a bit defensive this time.

“Not in person. We just hadn’t had a chance to come visit and he can’t up and leave his job for an impromptu trip to Destiny Islands.”

“Yeah, I guess you have a point. Well, come visit more often! I haven’t seen you in _forever_. It was nice meeting you Sora!” And with that and a wave, Xu had ducked back into the parlor to continue her argument with Cinnamon.

“…Yeah,” Roxas agreed quietly. He turned to Sora then. “I’ve definitely gotta get you over here more often. Everyone always wants to see you.”

It was more than a little gratifying to hear. More proof that Sora had a firm place in Roxas’ life now. He found himself with cold, aching cheeks as his bright smile returned.

“That’s good to hear. I want to see them too.” And hopefully after this visit, Roxas’ dad would be added to that list.

“Good.” Roxas handed Sora his ice cream then. “Tell me if you like it, by the way.”

It was…odd. A strange, bright color that seemed less like it belonged in ice cream and more like it belonged in a neon sign. It was clearly freshly made from the texture, but it wasn’t in a cone. Instead it was shaped like a bar and resided on a stick. The sort of easy treat that one could walk down the sidewalk with, perusing the town with their friends, maybe even skateboarding around until they ended up at the usual spot underneath the train tracks. The sort of wistful summers Roxas spoke of with nostalgia in his tone. Sora was glad, then, to try a piece of that.

He stuck his tongue out and lapped at the side, not sure if it was a good idea to put the ice cream in his mouth yet. Not until he knew how it tast—

Oh.

Oh!

That was…

“Hey! This is actually pretty good!” There was the tang of salt on his tongue at first, but beneath it was the sweet sensation of vanilla. Unexpected considering the color but welcome all the same.

So… Roxas won this round then. Sora’d think twice before doubting his taste in sweets again.

“I told you!”

“Yeah, yeah!” Sora waved him off despite definitely enjoying the ice cream.

“Knew I’d get you to like it. But! I think we’ve taken enough of a detour now that you’ve tried it. Dad’s still waiting for us and he’ll give me an earful if we’re late getting there because of ice cream. So…” Roxas placed a placating hand to the small of Sora’s back, not pushing or moving but just comforting. “You ready?”

Sora felt a bit jittery, despite the reassuring smile on Roxas’ face and the warm hand on his back. He couldn’t help it though. He was _finally_ meeting Roxas’ dad. Yeah, he’d talked to him on the phone before a couple of times but none of those moments compared to this.

He hoped Cloud liked him.

“You don’t have to be scared, you know. Dad’s excited to meet you too.”

That…

Well, that helped.

This was an important moment. Sora was meeting such an important, dear person in Roxas’ life and he didn’t want to mess it up. But knowing that Cloud was excited to meet Sora too sent a giddy feeling through every one of his nerves. He’d never seemed it much over the phone, though Roxas reassured him that this was because Cloud was apparently emotionally constipated, but Roxas knew his dad better than Sora did. If he was truly excited then Sora had little to worry about.

So he reached back and grabbed Roxas’ hand again, threading their fingers once more and squeezing lightly as he nodded.

“Okay,” he said. “I’m ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas!

**Author's Note:**

> Updates on Fridays


End file.
